As Americans honor the men and women of their armed services on Memorial Day, one American hero is speaking out against government leadership he says doesn't deserve everything soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are doing for it.
In an interview with WND, Navy Capt. Eugene "Red" McDaniel said it's been some time since he "reached a point where I decided the leadership isn't worthy of the sacrifices people are making for it."
The establishment in Washington has been entrenched in a number of issues concerning the military of late, including trying to defend the huge losses in territory in the Middle East now being taken over by ISIS.
Much of that land had been bought with the blood of U.S. and coalition military members over the years of fighting tyrants and trying to establish a society based on freedom and rights.
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The current administration's focus on the military has seemed to be more on installing open homosexuality in the ranks and allowing women into tip-of-the-spear ground combat operations.
McDaniel well knows the meaning of sacrifice. As chronicled in his book "Scars & Stripes," McDaniel recounts being shot down over Vietnam in 1967 and enduring years of torture at the hands of the Vietnamese Communists.
He explains through the experience he rediscovered God, and returned home in 1973 to be reunited with his wife, Dorothy. She tells her own story of their life together and the horrors of their long separation in "After the Hero's Welcome: A POW Wife's Story of the Battle Against a New Enemy."
McDaniel isn't alone in his brutal analysis of the current American leadership. Richard Botkin, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and author of "Ride the Thunder: A Vietnam War Story of Honor and Triumph," told WND, "I whole-heartedly agree that the current leadership is unworthy of the men and women they supposedly lead."
Botkin expressed concern many Americans have lost sight of the meaning of Memorial Day.
"Most Americans are so far removed from our country's history and so far from understanding what the true cost of freedom is that the holiday has lost most of its meaning," he said.
Botkin contrasts this loss of memory to the sense of patriotism and duty he sees among Vietnamese-Americans who came to the country after the fall of Saigon.
"One of the reasons I have so much respect for the American Vietnamese is that, as a group, they fully understand that freedom does not come cheap. They love America precisely because they understand, better than almost any other group since WWII, the true cost of freedom and how evil communism is. When people pay for their freedom with blood and toil, it means more than to those of us who have done very little to earn it."
As part of his effort to spread the message of patriotism and what he sees as the true history of the Vietnam War, Botkin served as executive producer for the movie "Ride the Thunder: A Vietnam War Story of Victory and Betrayal," which is now being screened at theaters around the country in preparation for a national roll-out.
McDaniel shares Botkin's concern about whether the true meaning of Memorial Day has been lost.
"Memorial Day is a great day," he said. "It's a time for people to come to grips with the incredible sacrifices our men and women are making and the price we have paid for all we enjoy."
Cautioning that freedom can easily be lost unless the young are taught what is necessary to defend it, McDaniel implores, "We need to tell young people the price of freedom is not cheap. It's the product of incredible self-sacrifice."
Chelsea Schilling, news and commentary editor for WND and a veteran of the United States Army, recalls her moment of enlistment with pride.
"It takes a great deal of courage and patriotism to sign on that dotted line, volunteering to give your life for your countrymen," she explained.
"When my fellow soldiers and I raised our right hands and swore to support and defend the Constitution, the gravity of that moment didn't escape us. We did it because we know for a fact that – despite what any president or party says – America is exceptional and the greatest nation on Earth.
"We believe in human dignity, love for our neighbors, personal responsibility, self-government and free will. And we believed it enough to sign a contract literally offering up our own lives for our American brothers and sisters in the cause of liberty."
However, she also recognizes the country she fought for is in a crisis.
"Today, America has come to a crossroads: It will either sacrifice its birthright of freedom for the lure of an all-powerful government and taxpayer-funded handouts or, instead, return to God-given principles of liberty, individual responsibility and self-government."
Schilling encourages patriotic Americans to honor the members of the armed forces by fighting for American ideals.
"If you truly cherish your countrymen's sacrifice, honor them by fighting for these American principles. Never surrender those precious freedoms for the fleeting promises of security, comfort, or convenience. Take a moment this Memorial Day to reflect on what America truly stands for – and what you are doing to keep it."
She continued, "Memorial Day is truly about those heroes who made that ultimate sacrifice – cutting their lives short and leaving their families behind – so you will always know the sweet taste of freedom, opportunity and prosperity.
"Most importantly, because of their sacrifice, you are free to worship the Almighty God and fully realize His calling in your life. Never take that gift for granted."