President John Kennedy said, ``A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but ideas live on.'' The idea to which many of our troops have fought to preserve and protect for our great Nation is the idea of freedom--the freedom to live in a country where you can be anything you want to be, the freedom to do anything you want to do, and the freedom to go anyplace you want to go. Today, our troops are over in Iraq and Afghanistan so that the people of those nations can have even a little of what we take for granted. The mark of a great country is that men and women, when called, will leave everything behind, sacrifice everything for someone, something, someplace they consider greater than themselves. While the cause of such a noble idea as freedom lives on and our troops sacrifice daily on foreign lands, we must maintain constant vigilance for life here at home. The issue before us today is one of which the very soldiers who fight to spread the idea of freedom to countries that don't know it find an ever-fleeting policy that denies them the opportunity to be who they want to be and the freedom to do what they want to do. As one who spent 17 years in the military, flying wounded and fallen soldiers out of Iraq and Afghanistan, the finest men and women have served our Nation, I find it regrettable that, for some, the freedom that they're fighting for is not evenly applied.
Editor's note · Context
Boccieri addresses the sacrifices of troops and the importance of freedom both abroad and at home.
Share
More from John A. Boccieri
the American people have asked for common sense in their government, but all too often it is just not that common. You see, our friends on the other side have asked for simplicity, for substance, and for competition in the health care…
The gentleman from New Jersey has some very good ideas, which we have got to look at very seriously, about putting our country back to work and about long-term investments. You know, I have often said that we have got to be the producers…
Today I rise in recognition of a man with a dedicated vision not just for himself, but for his life's work. My constituent, Dr. Brian Mathie of Louisville, Ohio, has a commitment to a lifetime of healthy vision for all Ohio residents. He…
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry for the confusion this evening. Tonight I am joined by several of my colleagues from around the country who want to talk to you about the economy and how we are working hard here in Congress to set the record…





