“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 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 protestor to burn the flag.”
-Father Dennis Edward O’Brian, USMC

Today on Veterans’ Day, I’d like to salute two of my favorite veterans. One who served in the Navy, and one who served in the Marines. The first is my adopted grandpa.

Pearl Harbor was bombed on his 17th birthday. He wanted to rush right out and join the Navy, but his mother made him finish high school first. This brave veteran was a signalman in the navy during WW2. He would have been in the first wave of servicemen to hit Japan’s beaches had the US not dropped the 2 atomic bombs. Thank you, Grandpa Bell, for serving our country!

The next is my brother-in-law.

Jon joined the Marines in 2004 and just finished his enlistment this past Friday. During his time in the USMC, he served in Iraq and in the Mediterranean region. Jon, I honor you for your service to our nation.

Thank you, Veterans!