On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month…

This day is set aside in honor of American Patriot Veterans who have carried the banner of Liberty forward since the first shots at Lexington and Concord. And it is now time for us to deliver this banner to the next generation.

Millions of Patriots — American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen — have for generations honored their oaths to “support and defend” Liberty, as “endowed by our Creator” and enshrined in our Constitution.

Today, and every day, we formally honor them. We remain the proud and the free because they have stood bravely in harm’s way, and millions remain on post today. For this, we, the American People, offer our heartfelt thanks.

“Mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions.” —1 Chronicles 12:8

“Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.” —Gen. Douglas MacArthur

“War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.” —John Stuart Mill

“It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.” —Army Veteran Charles M. Province

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” —John 15:12-14

We invite you to read Mark Alexander’s most recent Veterans Day essay, Honoring Those Who Have Earned It, and his recent profile on Medal of Honor recipient, Desmond Doss, subject of the best movie in years, “Hacksaw Ridge.”