By - Michael Teninty, AMAC Action’s Chief Policy Analyst
![Soldiers-American-Flag Memorial day. Veterans Day. US soldiers. US Army. Military of USA.](https://static-asset.amac.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/08110943/Soldiers-American-Flag.jpg)
Among the few things that Congress “shall have the power” to do is to:
“To declare War…; To raise and support Armies…; [and] To provide and maintain a Navy;”
And this power necessarily requires that our federal government staff our military on the occasion that we must prepare to defend, or actually defend, our Constitution, our national interests, our way of life, and our people from international threats, especially after a declaration of war.
But who answers the call? We the People do. A small percentage of every kind of American has taken an oath and volunteered to serve in our armed forces. They come from everywhere between sea to shining sea. In some cases, they come from overseas to take up training and arms in defense of people like you and me.
On the very first day that they raise their right hand, they leave their futures in the hands of God, and the course of their lives in the hands of our duly elected officials. They leave their families behind, who also sacrifice because their servicemembers are not home, and they subject themselves to an ethos of “not mine, but thy will be done.” In some cases, they forfeit a more prosperous personal future to support the cause of liberty. They do so willingly, and with the full understanding that their lives are (literally) committed to our cause. In some terrible cases they sustain grave injury, seen and unseen, for which we owe them a great debt of gratitude. They are Veterans, and these are their just some of their sacrifices.
This Veterans Day, reach out to someone who has completed their service, as I will, to thank them for their sacrifice, as we should; for every liberty we enjoy was delivered at some point through the hands of a Veteran by the grace of God. Remember on this day the ones that are still here, that live with the consequences of their sacrifice for us. On Armed Forces Day, remember those who are currently serving; and on Memorial Day, remember those who have passed in service to our nation.
Dear Veterans, thank you for everything you’ve sacrificed for us, and our families, and our nation under God.
Hailing from Florida by Alaska, Michael Teninty is a Husband, Father, and retired Naval Officer who continues to support and defend the Constitution of the United States as AMAC Action’s Chief Policy Analyst, a Conservative Political Philosopher, and most importantly, a servant of Jesus Christ.