Boehner Weekly Column: Celebrating Independence, Honoring Our Troops

Via email:

We celebrate our country’s independence not with displays of military prowess but with a day spent grilling in the backyard, picnicking with family and honoring our veterans and troops with parades and concerts. As the late Erma Bombeck, an American humorist and Dayton native, said, “You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”

As any fifth-grade student can tell you, July 4th is the annual celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. On that day, we declared that we would no longer chafe under colonial rule; we would be free of tyranny. Revolutionary War soldiers suffered greatly to bring about that freedom; our troops today model themselves after that same commitment.

As we celebrate our nation’s birthday in peace, we should take some time to honor the troops who make that possible: it could be as simple as thanking a veteran for his or her service or as involved as volunteering at a local veteran’s hospital. Other ways you can show support for our troops include:

Send a greeting through Operation Dear Abby at http://anyservicemember.navy.mil;

Sign a virtual “Thank You” card at the Defend America website, www.defendamerica.mil/nman.html;

Donate to Freedom Calls Foundation, which provides free communications – telephones, video conference, computers and access to e-mail – so that troops stationed overseas can stay in touch with their families. www.freedomcalls.org;

Volunteer with the USO to put together care packages for troops deployed in the Global War on Terror;

Donate a calling card through Operation Uplink, www.operationuplink.org;

Each service branch has a military relief society set up to help troops and their families
Army Emergency Relief: www.aerhq.org;
Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society: www.nmcrs.org;
Air Force Aid Society: www.afas.org;
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, www.cgmahq.org.
Volunteer at an area VA hospital; www.va.gov and click on “Health Care” and then “Facility Locator” to find hospitals in Cincinnati and Dayton, and Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Cambridge, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Middletown and Springfield.

As you can see, there are countless organizations dedicated to supporting our troops – the ones I have listed are just a small sample. A quick internet search will lead you to other organizations and websites that may be a better fit for what you are looking to do. What’s important is that we’re showing our troops how much we appreciate their efforts.

The Declaration of Independence, signed by 52 men from the original 13 colonies, is just 1,322 words. But those words, written and signed in secrecy set into action events that resonate today – and will continue resonating tomorrow and for ages to come. The United States is the greatest nation. We are strong. We are generous. We do not hesitate to come to the aid of those need it. We stand by our friends.

And we should remember the words of our Founding Fathers:

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the [U]nited States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States … And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”