Bethel

To the editor:

Nightly I watch in horror and heartbreak the tragedy in Ukraine. During one evening news I turned to my wife and asked her what her father would have thought about what is going on over there. This was a career military man, a recipient of the Purple Heart, who was stationed in Pearl Harbor and Germany during WWII. He didn’t pay the ultimate price but some might consider his sacrifice a heavier one as his mental condition worsened over the years from that experience.

In frustration I yelled “exactly what was he fighting for”? Did he think the US could do more to protect ‘Freedom’ in Ukraine or was giving them financial and military assistance enough? Does the threat of nuclear war allow an autocrat to run rough shod? Will this threat allow him to continue to make land grabs? At what point does the ‘free world’ make a stand against tyranny? Are the values that millions have given their lives for worth fighting for now? If we let Russia’s action stand, what does it say about the US?

I can only speculate on how he would have answered, but I’m quite sure some of these questions would have damaged the pride he felt in protecting freedom, not only for the US but around the world. If the US doesn’t take on a greater role now, he might have said, “What WAS I fighting for?”

I am inspired by the people of Ukraine and President Zelensky. Their resolve reminds me how precious freedom is and how quickly it can erode if we are not careful.

We have a past president who tried to dismantle NATO (under the guise that they were not paying their fair share) and whose first words after Russia’s invasion was in praise of Putin as well as calling him a genius. This man has a chance to be President again as well as the first American born Oligarch.

We have Governors and state and local legislatures passing laws to restrict access to voting and banning books.

We have political hacks on the Supreme Court who have taken the term Supreme out of Supreme Court by blurring the lines of Church and State, a principle people died for.

Is this what we really want? Are we not a strong enough people that we have to have politicians impose their will on how we think, what we read, and define morality? I don’t care what side of the political spectrum you are on there is a price for our freedom and it is considerably more than the price of a gallon of gasoline. My hope is that the courage being shown and admired in Ukraine will show itself in our fight for freedoms in The United States!