Honoring our Veterans

To Our Veterans on this Veterans Day 2023:

Just as I believe that this universe, this world, and our humanity were brought into existence by a higher power, with an intelligence that has no boundaries of time or space, I believe this great nation was brought about for a purpose. It didn’t come from nothing. It came from an idea, a belief that as our Declaration of Independence states, “all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”.

Men and women have bled and died for this belief. They have fought against tyranny from the very beginning of our country, first winning a victory to set our own course as a nation with a new vision and a concept of government that had never existed before 1776. Over the last almost 250 years, our armed forces have fought for liberty for liberty’s sake, to hold back the tide of armies that have threatened that same liberty in every corner of the world.

They have fought to keep our own country united because, as President Abraham Lincoln said in 1858, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. These are words that are especially true today.

Our veterans, and our active military, have been the bulwark, the first line of defense against those who would take away that liberty. Each one of you is part of that line both in your past service and in the lives that you lead now. We offer you our humble thanks and gratitude for your service.

I believe that we are stronger as a people and as a country under God’s protection and blessings. This nation is one nation under God, and you are honored today in that belief. ​