Ted Poe: “To be born free is an accident, to live free is a privilege, and to die free is a responsibility. Powerful words spoken…”

“To be born free is an accident, to live free is a privilege, and to die free is a responsibility. Powerful words spoken by Brigadier General James Sehorn that are embedded into the minds of our valiant soldiers protecting nations from a cowardly enemy that burrows beneath the Iraqi desert sands, those individuals that seek to annihilate our freedoms that all people should have. The American soldier believes in freedom more than any other individual on Earth because they witness the inhumanity of tyranny. They see it in the fierce trenches of battle. Our soldiers secure life and liberty, and they give it to those folks in Afghanistan and Iraq. U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Edward Charles Reynolds, Jr. was one of these soldiers. He was an 8-year Army veteran. Staff Sergeant Reynolds had been stationed among the terrorist Iraqi insurgents, fighting against them to ensure a free nation of Iraq. He is a native of Port Arthur, Texas, and he was a 1997 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School, where he was a star tight-end and middle linebacker on the football team. As a Texan, Staff Sergeant Reynolds spent fall football seasons cheering for one of the greatest teams in college football, the University of Texas Longhorns. Those who knew him knew a man who took care of others, whether it be his family, his friends, or his country. Staff Sergeant Reynolds was their protector. Family was the most important thing to Staff Sergeant Reynolds.”