With Armed Forces Day on May 15^th and Memorial Day on May 31^st, we have an opportunity to thank those in our community who answered the call to duty and protected us from threats both domestic and abroad. Here in the Ohio Legislature, we take special pride in honoring the service members and veterans in Ohio by enacting legislation to make life easier for them and their families.

Our nation’s military veterans are paradigms of the American spirit and everything our country stands for. While we can never fully repay our service members for their sacrifices, we can honor them by never taking our freedoms for granted. Every time we fly the Stars and Stripes or cast a vote in an election, we uphold the values that have been built for us by the sweat and blood of men and women in uniform.

Elmer Davis of the United States Office of War Information during World War II said, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” Because hundreds of thousands of brave Americans throughout history have risked their lives for our nation, we have the benefit of living every day in freedom. We sleep soundly at night with the knowledge that we and our children are in good hands.

Today, approximately 25 million veterans live in America. These heroes are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters who answered the call to defend their country. Whether they were fighting in the trenches or marching through the deserts, crossing jungles or storming beaches, they risked everything to protect the American dream and the future of our children. It is essential not just on special holidays, but every day we live in freedom, that we show our appreciation for those who believed that this country is worth risking their lives for.

As a former Marine Corps sergeant during the Vietnam War, I am especially honored to work toward enacting legislation that benefits Ohio’s 6,000 Army, Navy and Air Force recruits, as well as all the veterans living in our great state. This May, I encourage you to take a moment to commemorate all those who have served in our military, as well as those who gave their lives for our nation.

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