As we enter the Christmas weekend, National Review has an eloquent reflection about something that must be on the minds of many Americans this season. Joseph Morrison Skelly ties Christmas 2005 to Christmases past:
“On the night of December 25, 1776, with the winter wind whipsawing the water, with waves ripping across the bows of their leaky boats, and sheets of ice impeding their path, American soldiers rowed across the merciless river, from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. The city of Trenton was their objective. On the evening of December 25, 2005, American soldiers, like their Colonial-era predecessors, will traverse swift, unforgiving currents, but in a distant land. Victory in Operation Iraqi Freedom is their aim.”
As Mr. Skelly, a college history professor and a sergeant in the reserves, makes clear, our troops in Iraq are doing something profoundly American, fighting for freedom.
There has been much nonsense and lack of seriousness in Washington this year, but in Iraq America has been at her best (here and here are two more articles that draw a parallel with this year’s travails and struggles for freedom in our past.) We can be especially proud of our soldiers this year–and especially proud to be Americans.
Merry Christmas!