Happy Independence Day! 

TMLC Friends and Supporters:

From Lexington and Valley Forge, to Iraq and Afghanistan, our soldiers have fought for Freedom and in defense our Nation.  The Fourth of July is a time to remember the sacrifices of all our fighting men and women.  

However, I want to take this time to especially remember the sacrifices made by LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, USMC, who served three tours of duty in Iraq, and is now being persecuted by the government he so loyally served and condemned by the press whose constitutional rights he fought to preserve.

I also want to remember the sacrifices of Captain Michael Martino, USMC, and Major Gerald Bloomfield, USMC, who died in defense of their country.  Now the ACLU has filed a lawsuit to prevent their families from memorializing their sacrifices at the foot of the Mt Soledad Cross, a nationally recognized veterans’ memorial.

Marine chaplain Father Dennis Edward O’Brien eloquently spoke to both the courage and the irony in the role that our soldiers play in protecting our great nation:

It is the Soldier

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

By: Father Dennis Edward O’Brien,  United States Marine Corps

This is a time to pray for our Country and all our fighting men and women in harms way. 

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday as we celebrate our Nation’s freedom.

May God continue to bless America.

Richard Thompson
Thomas More Law Center