Dear Friends and Family,
It has been almost ten years since religious terrorists, seeking to overthrow the values and freedom of Western civilization, crashed planes into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Some three thousand lives were lost that day, and with them, the illusion of invincibility and naivete toward world affairs that had persisted until that point. Until that time, it was easy to shelve questions of life, love, and evil--knowing that we could use the many benefits of a free society to isolate ourselves from the hard realities inherent to this world and our own hearts. But that illusion was shattered that day, so indelibly so that most all of us can remember how the events of that day unfolded in an almost freeze-frame memory.
From that day on, we have sought to remind the world that we would not let such crimes go unpunished. We would not let tyranny and terrorism scare those who cherish freedom into compromising the things they hold dear. We have committed incredible resources--not the least of which is many thousands of soldiers--to defend the hopes of man in a world that is bent toward despair. Thousands of civilians died on 9/11, helpless before those who drew no lines between soldier and citizen. Thousands more have died since then, and whether those soldiers fought for country, education, family, a better future, or merely the battle buddy beside them--they fought for our freedom. They stood in the gap between freedom and tyranny to defend freedom against those who would cross the gap and vanquish it. To them and to the families that now have empty seats at the dinner table we owe an undying debt of gratitude.
We cannot simply delight in the death of the wicked because we would ultimately delight in our own deaths, for sin consumes us all. We can, however, delight in the execution of justice. Ten years ago, a man who lost all sense of justice and goodness struck down harmless civilians from the shadows of his own cowardice. Rather than fighting those trained to fight, he has struck over and over and retreated to his hiding places. He struck down the defenseless and fled their defenders. Yesterday, the defenders pursued him into the shadows and loosened the grip he had on the hearts of free men and women all over the world. That detachment of Special Forces are our heroes. Like so many other missions, they set out yesterday without assurance that they would survive, entered enemy territory and brought down the blade of justice upon the 21st century's first great villain.
Today, I am proud to be an American. I am proud of our soldiers. I am proud of my commander-in-chief, who made a difficult decision and showed moral resolve in the swirling maelstrom of the political season. And President Obama did not show any moral equivocation in the decision he made. This is a victory for us all, and though the present wars will likely persist for a good number of years, we can stand particularly confident today that as long as men and women are willing to defend it and our God in His grace is willing to preserve it, freedom will not perish from this earth.
With Sincere Gratitude,
Stephen
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