In 1942 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, my father enlisted in the Navy. Following 9/11, as a former Marine I joined a NH Army National Guard unit and was deployed to Iraq in 2004. My unit escorted convoys, built schools, provided medical care, paved roads and distributed humanitarian supplies all under the constant threat of attack. I lead a gun truck security team for thousands of miles without a single casualty. We were very fortunate, “aDio Favante”.

Human nature being the selfish, unpredictable thing it is; war is a necessary evil. No country or individual can exist in freedom without demonstrating a will to fight. The United States has made mistakes but our nation, on and off the battlefield, has done more to defeat tyrants, defend the innocent and help the poor than any other country in the world. American service members have suffered, been wounded or killed in the defense of these self-evident, humanitarian principles. Their sacrifices should be acknowledged, not taken for granted.

History will ultimately judge our response to the mass murder of three thousand people on 9/11 perpetrated in the name of Islamic fundamentalism. Regardless, I will live my days confident that our time in Iraq did some greater good. I hope my father would have been proud of my decision.