Reply #1: Memorial Day writing by Monica Benderman, Kevin's wife [View All]

[uppityperson]

May 28, 2006

REMEMBER
Monica Benderman

They died – but it did not make us free.

They died because the citizens of the country for which they served would not stand to live by the principles on which their country was founded.

They died because the citizens of the country for which they served would not stand to hold their government officials accountable to the oaths of office they took.

They died because the citizens of this country refused to accept their responsibility in preserving the freedoms they so willingly claimed to be their right.

If we all have a right to the freedoms for which our American veterans have sacrificed, then we all have equal share in their defense.

They died for reasons as varied and as individual as the people they were when their uniforms came off.

They died for what they believed in – which is not always what we believe in.

They died because they had the courage to take a stand to defend the principles on which their country was founded, which allowed them the right to their beliefs.

They died because, regardless of their beliefs, they knew that it would not be by words alone that the citizens of this country could live in freedom – it would be by actions.

The freedoms belong to those who are willing to fight for them – and those freedoms are as individual as the men and women who fight and who are willing to put it all on the line for what they believe.

In the fight for true freedom weapons that kill are the weapons of last resort. The veterans who did take a stand would have done anything in their power to avoid having to use such weapons. The citizens of this country, by believing that the fight for their freedoms belonged to only a few, gave the veterans who served no other choice.

The respect and honor that this nation’s veterans deserve will require far more than a placing of flags and a calling of names.

The respect and honor due the veterans who sacrificed so greatly are far more than most American citizens seem willing to pay.

The respect and honor belonging to our American veterans will come when every American citizen stands on principle and remembers that true freedom is not free – nor can it be bought on the credit of another man’s life.

True freedom comes by earning it for ourselves – by taking a stand to defend what we believe, allowing others to do the same; realizing that in the sameness of humanity, we are none of us the same.

If you cannot take a personal stand for your freedom equal to that of our American veterans – then you do not deserve to raise a flag and name the name of one veteran who has put his life on the line for what they believed.

If you cannot take that stand – then the freedom you claim is nothing more than a ball and chain – and the freedom you claim is not what you believe.


Monica is the wife of US Army Sgt. Kevin Benderman, an Iraq war veteran who is currently serving a 15 month sentence at the Regional Corrections Facility, Ft. Lewis, WA for filing a Conscientious Objector application as his legal objection to war and the current direction this country has taken. Please visit www.BendermanDefense.org and www.BendermanTimeline.com to learn more.


Monica and Kevin may be reached at [e-mail]