POMPEO: This Veterans Day Recognize the Sacrifices That Make Our Nation Great and Dedicate Ourselves To Maintaining It

As the dust settles on a historic election victory for President Trump, as well as conservatives up and down the ballot, Americans must remember that we have very real and serious challenges ahead of us. Four years of appeasement have delivered America’s adversaries the upper hand, and poor fiscal policies have delivered persistent inflation that has crushed middle- and working-class families.  Policy changes, especially those that restore the American-led model of deterrence and the powerful economy put in place during the Trump Administration’s first term, are sorely needed – but it will take more than that to put America back on track and pave the way for another 250 years of greatness.

Something more fundamental must change: We must restore our faith in the foundational principles that comprise our national identity as Americans.  That’s why this Veterans Day, I hope every American reflects on our veterans, the men and women who have sacrificed for our nation and understand better than anyone what makes our nation so special.

Thirty years ago, I arrived at the United States Military Academy at West Point as a cadet with amazing young men and women from around the country.  In that cohort were people of every faith, race, social-economic class, and creed.  Yet, there was something that united each of us: a love and respect for our country, a dedication to excellence, and a willingness to risk sacrificing all we had to defend it.  The same was true of the men and women with whom I served in West Germany.  Like all our veterans, they embodied the very essence of American strength, ingenuity, and grit. It is incumbent upon us, as a nation, to ensure that their sacrifices are recognized, their contributions celebrated, and their needs addressed.  Most importantly, we should dedicate ourselves to maintaining the nation they strove to protect.

So many of our veterans are people of faith, and we should remember this Veterans Day that our veterans fought for an America where religious liberty and living faithfully are protected and celebrated, not threatened or denigrated.  Indeed, one of my proudest achievements during my time as CIA Director was standing up a chaplains’ program that could provide faith-based counseling to the extraordinary agents serving our nation in dark and difficult places.  It’s also why I’m proud to now work with Liberty University, whose first-class chaplaincy program prepares students to serve as military chaplains.

During my tenure as Secretary of State and previously as CIA Director, I had the honor of working closely with many veterans. I saw firsthand how their insights and strategic thinking have been invaluable in shaping our national security policies – which is why I was proud to endorse many veteran candidates in the most recent elections up and down the ballot.  We need more veterans, regardless of politics, serving in positions of leadership who can bring their experience defending America against a dangerous world to bear in forming the policies that keep America safe.

Veterans Day also serves as a poignant reminder of the costs of freedom.  Too often, we are quick to dismiss the dangers of the world and the threat they pose to the United States, or to ignore the price paid by so many for the freedom we get to enjoy every day.

Veterans who served in Afghanistan and kept America safe from radical Islamic terror deserved better than the Biden Administration’s rush for the exit, appeasement of the Taliban, and failure to keep American soldiers safe.  They deserved better than the Biden-Harris Administration’s  appeasement of Iran.  Putting America first requires that we not pursue policies that put our service members at risk or dishonor the sacrifices made by those who fought to keep America secure.  Indeed, the best way we can honor our veterans – and not needlessly put the lives of our service members at risk – is to deter our adversaries, not appease them.  We must restore the same deterrence we were able to build during President Trump’s first term in office by asserting American strength and making clear that there are terrible costs to threatening American lives.

Finally, this weekend, I hope Americans reflect on the lives altered by war, as well as the courage of those who served, the resilience of their families, and the challenges faced by returning service members.  I recently spoke to an incredible organization that provides educational and professional development, as well as other resources, to Special Forces veterans making the transition back to civilian life.  These are the kinds of organizations that set America apart, and we should all be committed to giving our veterans everything they need to live fulfilling, prosperous lives when they return home from service.  Most importantly, we should strive, always, to uphold the nation they sacrificed to defend – a nation like no other in history, founded by people of faith to preserve the unalienable  rights that inhere in every person, and which stands as a beacon of freedom and prosperity.