A few weeks ago, in anticipation of Veterans Day, I had the privilege of visiting the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir.
The museum, which is free of charge, has put together a special exhibition and program in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of U.S. Army.
The exhibit, which runs through June 2027, is something I wholeheartedly encourage parents to take their children to so they can truly appreciate our nation’s history and heritage, along with the sacrifice made to preserve the freedom bestowed on us by our Creator and affirmed by the 56 brave signers of that historic document. The museum confirms that “CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War” is on display through June 2027 and has free admission.
To say my soul was stirred as I viewed the heroism of so many who have fought for our nation’s freedom would be an understatement.
Starting with the American Revolution, in which Gen. George Washington led a ragtag army not only into battle but eventually to victory over what was then the greatest army on the face of the earth, and continuing through the brave souls who stormed the beaches of Normandy to bring an end to Nazi tyranny and the courageous men and women today who fight for our freedom, we owe them endless words of praise and appreciation for all they’ve done to keep our nation strong and free.
And the sacrifices made are far beyond what many of us could ever humanly endure, such as those made by the soldiers who were part of the infamous World War II Bataan Death March.
In April 1942, after the Japanese had captured the Philippines, more than 78,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers were marched by their captors for more than a week under a relentless sun. Only 54,000 reached the prisoner-of-war camp.
When those who survived reached their camp, it got even worse. One survivor, James Bollich, recalled:
“I remember looking around and deciding that the way people were dying that within a few weeks we would all be dead. Our food was nothing but a handful of cooked rice a day. The barracks we stayed in were made out of bamboo with thatched roofs, no doors or windows. At night, the mosquitoes would chew us alive and during the daytime the flies would get all over us. The big killer was dysentery. They had open latrines that had flies by the billions, covering our camp. Once you caught dysentery you were gone.”
One of my dear friends had the privilege of knowing one of the last survivors of that march.
That man, a friend of my friend’s father who also served in World War II, told of how, if a soldier tried to get a drink of water, he was shot. According to him, those who collapsed fell on their dead colleagues, and others were buried alive. He witnessed public beheadings, and the emotional and physical toll he endured would go on for longer than the war itself. His bones, brittle from the malnutrition and punishment he endured, broke easily and frequently throughout the remainder of his life.
But despite what he went through, he was a man of tremendous joy who gave everyone he knew a hearty hello and a big bear hug whenever he saw them. When asked if the pain and suffering he experienced were worth it, he would reply, “The pain was a small price to pay to preserve freedom.”
While the exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Army focuses on the American Revolution, the museum, as a whole, is a grand tribute to men and women like these brave individuals who endured incredible suffering to make sure the rest of us didn’t.
So, this Veterans Day, instead of just seeing a nice day off in the middle of the week, I would encourage each of us to reflect more deeply on the sacrifice made by the first veterans, that ragtag Revolutionary War army who fought to make our nation free, as well as those who came afterward to preserve and secure the freedoms we continue to enjoy today.
It would be my hope that all of us can say to those who have served, “Thank you” for what you’ve done to keep America the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
