John Boehner, June 30, 2006

From the camps of Valley Forge to the fields of Gettysburg, from the beaches of Normandy to the sands of the Middle East, America has long relied on the strength and heroism of her sons and daughters who answer the call to service when liberty is threatened by tyranny. Our freedoms were born in the ideals of the Enlightenment and the musket fires of an historic revolution. And on this Independence Day we should celebrate the struggles of our forebears and give thanks to those who continue the struggle today.

It was 230 years ago in July 1776 that our Founding Fathers forged and signed a revolutionary document directly challenging the King of England -- then commander of the most powerful army in the world - to recognize the "unalienable rights" of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Such ideals were radical in the 18th century -- and victory in the war for independence, while seemingly inevitable in hindsight, was far from certain that summer in Philadelphia.

The same bravery in the face of uncertainty is alive today, more than two centuries later, as the "Spirit of ‘76" continues to inspire freedom fighters throughout the world. In Tiananmen Square, Chinese dissidents raised a model of the Statue of Freedom that sits atop the United States Capitol Building. In Cuba, repressed citizens recite the words of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. And recent revolutions in Ukraine and Lebanon threw off the shackles of bondage and created societies rooted in freedom and self-government.

Much like the citizen-soldiers of the Revolution, America’s volunteer defenders of today continue to take up arms where liberty is threatened. Last week, the brave soldiers of Ohio National Guard C-Troop 2nd Squadron of the 107th Cavalry left Greenville for Fort Dix, New Jersey. There they will train before deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere in the Global War on Terror, people who have long known nothing but tyranny now take up arms alongside Americans and pledge their "Lives, Fortunes, and sacred Honor" in the pursuit of freedom.

While America has a history of standing up to those who would use force to impose and expand their violently oppressive ideologies and regimes, September 11th made it clear that if we are to honor the commitments of our forefathers we could no longer afford to ignore terrorists who threaten peace and stability.

It is this strength and fortitude in the face of evil that has made America the primary enemy of madmen -- whether the terrorist with a bomb strapped to his chest or the Dictator with designs on weapons of mass destruction. And it is the tireless efforts of citizen-soldiers like those of C-Troop that not only keep America secure from these threats, but make the world safer and more peaceful.

Thomas Jefferson wrote on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence:

"May it be to the world, what I believe it will be ... the signal of arousing men to burst the chains ... and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. ... For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them."

On this Fourth of July, let us heed Jefferson’s words and take a moment to say a little prayer for the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who continue the fight for "the rights of man." They comprise the greatest and most overwhelming force for good the world has ever known. And whether at home or abroad, they - and their families -- deserve our thanks for all they do in service to their country and the "unalienable rights" we cherish.

Congressman John Boehner is the House Majority Leader. Boehner, a Republican, represents Ohio's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Mercer Counties.