Many in my family fought in WWII. Heck, many served as far back as the French & Indian War. I have relatives who fought on both sides of the Civil War/War of Northern Aggression. I have relatives serving in Iraq right now. There was/is no "greatest generation." The sacrifices and service of each generation of warriors is no more or less than that of any other generation of warriors. Those who faced the British in 1776 and 1812, each other in 1861, the WWI & WWII warriors and those who today battle Islamofacists in Iraq are of the same mettle and quality. The technology of war may change but the character of our warriors remains the same through the generations. While I honor the sacrifices made by our fathers I believe those serving today are the equal of any who have come before them. The youngsters fighting in Baghdad today are the equal of their grandfathers who fought at Anzio and Iwo Jima. They are as deserving of honor as their forebears who died, on both sides, in Pickets Charge and they bring as much honor to us as those who battled at Bunker’s Hill and Yorktown. Despite spending the majority of my service in combat units, I have never been in combat. The opening moments of Saving Private Ryan scared the hell out of me and gave me some tiny appreciation of the terror my uncles must have experienced in 1943-45. From what I’ve heard our youngsters are getting a taste of that today while facing an enemy even more determined to destroy our society. I hope that when you meet these young warriors you remember that they are but the latest in a long line of heroes by whose grace we enjoy the freedoms and privileges they have earned for us.

We all like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists. But when push comes to shove most of us are sheep who do what we are told. Worst of all, a lot of us become unpaid agents of whoever is controlling the agenda by enforcing the current dogma on the few rugged individualists who actually exist.