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Commentary: The freedom to be free

  • Published
  • By Col. Randy Huiss
  • 15th Wing commander
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  It is an amazing time to be in Hawaii as we are about to celebrate the birthday of our nation.

This will be a first for me as I just arrived on the island a little over a week ago and am really looking forward to seeing the fireworks over Pearl Harbor!

I am excited and extremely grateful to have the opportunity to continue serving alongside the exceptional men and women in uniform who help defend our freedoms and protect our nation for future generations that follow.

Through your careers in the Air Force you will have or already have had extraordinary opportunities to visit foreign lands. While each place has its own unique appeal, and I may have enjoyed my time while traveling abroad, it is always special to come back home. There is no place I would rather be than back in the U.S.A.

Our country is special not because of the great material riches or fancy gadgets that we have been blessed with and have come to enjoy, but for the fortitude of the American spirit--the toughness that ensures we will get through anything together. The bullet pock-marks on the PACAF headquarters building and the Pearl Harbor memorials bear witness to some of the trials our nation has endured.

We all know that freedom is not free so please take a moment this weekend, as you are enjoying the holiday with family and friends, to think of those that have come before. The torch is ours to carry now and I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy Fourth of July everyone!