I come from a long line of American veterans who served our nation. My earliest ancestor was a captain in the Virginia Colonial military, and the family line of service has carried in every war with my father serving in the Army in World War II and Korea and me in the Vietnam Air War. We are good examples of citizen soldiers.

The concept of the citizen soldier became deeply rooted in American culture as a reminder that in a democracy, the privileges of citizenship and the responsibility of military service were interconnected. All veterans, both past and present, are considered citizen soldiers. This means that even if they pursued a military career, it was only a part of their life. They later returned to their local communities for a second career. It was their duty as citizens to serve the country that had given them so much. This idea is timeless: If one receives much, one should give back.

If we were to travel back to America’s past, we........

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