Twenty years ago this week, Ronald Reagan asked "Where do we find such men?" while touring the beaches and cemetaries of Normandy. He answered his own question by stating that we find them in the same place we always have, in the villages and towns of America.
He was right, we find them in places like Torrance, California.
May God comfort you in your loss. A grateful nation should always honor the memory of your brother.
Thank you. I am finding myself wet-eyed at a lot of these comments. Thank all of you. Why is it that so many people out there (I mean out there like in the broadcast centers and newspaper offices of America) don't understand what is going on in this country, in this world? Americans are this incredibly loving, giving people who are there when needed -- whether that need is of a family in mourning, or a nation like Iraq held in bondage. It is our nature, it is our history to protect the weak and comfort the hurt. By ignoring our very nature, and furthering the lies and misconceptions of both our enemies, and those who have political motivations to make us seem less than we are (those may be two definitions of the same people), they hold us back from achieving the fullness of our potential, and block many outside our borders from having the opportunity to experience the wonder that is America. If one were to take what they see and read as reality, Americans are this horrific race of torturers, dominators and haters, yet in the past month and a half since Brian's death, I have seen the vast majority of people as supportive of our troops, patriotic, fed up with being fed doctored information, and generally people who, even without knowing Brian personally, generally greeted me by wiping a tear and giving a hug or a handshake. This whole process has made me so much more proud of my country and my fellow citizens and firmly believing in God's wonder, grace and glory. God Bless all of you, and God Bless the United States of America.