Veterans Day 2017

Dear Friends,

Today is Veterans Day. A day where we take time to thank all who have served in our military – during both wartime and peace. I’ve been reading about servicemen and women in the different branches of the military, and thought I’d share some of the stories I have read. Some of these stories are tragic, while others are hopeful – all of these stories remind us about the deep sacrifices that our brave servicemen and women make for us on a daily basis.

Air Force: Devin Wilson was a veteran who courageously served in the Air Force. After completing his military service, he returned to civilian life to start a family. Although Mr. Wilson had completed his military service, he never stopped protecting the defenseless. In May 2017, Mr. Wilson was killed while protecting a women from being attacked by her abusive ex-boyfriend. He died while standing up for a complete stranger.

Army: Robert Ledbetter served as a scout sniper for the U.S. Army Rangers. He toured in Iraq, and is now a retired veteran. Mr. Ledbetter was one of the concert goers during the Las Vegas concert massacre. When he realized that there was a sniper in their midst, he began running to the aid of the wounded, administering first aid and applying tourniquets.

Coast Guard: Two U.S. Coastguardsmen, Petty Officer Scott Chism (age 25) and Seaman Chris Ferreby (age 23) died after their boat capsized during a law enforcement patrol through the Niagara River. Both of these young men had budding careers of service in their future. Both of these young men passed away before their time.

Marine Corps: Corporal David Qualls, was awarded the highest non-combat decoration for his courageous actions in saving a civilian from a dangerous car accident wreck. Corporal David Qualls came across a car wreck on the road, and swiftly came to the aid of the driver, Larry Flesher, who was pinned under his car. Had Corporal David Qualls not arrived at the scene, Larry Flesher would have been trapped in his car, which was beginning to catch fire.

Navy: During the tragic collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a commercial container ship on the Japanese coast, 34 Navy crew members were trapped in the USS Fitzgerald. Of which, only 27 were able to escape. Many of the escapees owe their lives to the brave efforts of their fellow crew members. The Department of the Navy released a report that describes the heroic efforts of sailors searching flooded cabins to rescue fellow crew members. Leaving no one behind, the brave sailors of the USS Fitzgerald dived back into the dark water to search for their fellow crew members.

National Guard: During the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the National Guard mobilized to help Puerto Rico as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands recover. Clearing highways, maintaining rule of law, and assisting with hurricane relief efforts, our National Guard is helping our fellow Americans in their time of need.

Let’s make a promise to spend Veterans Day being grateful for the sacrifices made by our U.S. soldiers.

God Bless,

Jonathan A. Lu

Independence Day 2017

Dear Friends,

Last month, I made a trip to New York to visit the city. During my time there, I had the chance to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

Visiting the memorial left me speechless. Going inside the museum, seeing the twisted metal of the broken support beams of the Twin Towers, staring at the crumbling stone steps of the “Survivors’ Stairs,” which hundreds of survivors used to seek escape, it was overwhelming to see the remnants of the wreckage caused by the attack.  

Staring at the battered fire truck, partially crushed by falling debris, listening to the recordings of the phone calls between passengers on Flight 93 and their families, the experience left you sober and solemn.

Like many other members of Generation Z, I didn’t have a very clear picture of 9/11. Many members of Generation Z were too young to remember the attack. Before visiting the memorial, the only knowledge I had about 9/11 was from history books and online research. After walking through the museum, I now have a more clearer picture of the tragedy that occurred more than 15 years ago.

On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by extremists who opposed our freedoms and values. This incident reminds us that our freedoms, our liberties, our constitutional rights, are neither free nor guaranteed. There are many people in this world who oppose these freedoms, and there is a human cost and sacrifice to protect these freedoms. That cost is paid by American soldiers, who put their lives on the line to fight terrorism on a daily basis.

Currently, within the United States, there’s a lot of division, especially politically. To be clear, political debate is important – it is a key element of our constitutional rights. However, I think that as American citizens, it’s important for us to come together and unite over our shared beliefs and values. I think that one of the values that we can unite over is an appreciation for our U.S. servicemen and women.

Every U.S. citizen, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political party, should share an appreciation for U.S. veterans. These brave souls fight for us daily, they enter battlefields where others would flee, they engage the enemy to protect our freedoms and independence.

This Independence Day, let’s take a moment to reflect and appreciate everything that our U.S. servicemen and women do to protect our values and liberties. Appreciate the fact that we get to enjoy the holiday with our families. Because there is a soldier stationed abroad who is sacrificing time with her family to protect us during the holiday season. Appreciate the fact that we get to enjoy fireworks from the safety of our homes. Because there is a soldier out there facing another type of firework, enemy fire.

Let’s make a promise to spend Independence Day being grateful for the sacrifices made by our U.S. soldiers. By doing so, we can overcome political, racial, and religious divisions, and we can unite as a nation.

God Bless,

Jonathan A. Lu

Memorial Day 2017

Dear Friends,

116,516 in World War I. 405,399 in World War II. 58,307 in Vietnam. 6,845 in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

These figures represent the number of Americans who have lost their lives as a result of war.

The numbers are staggering. As a civilian, it’s hard to fathom this immense loss of life. Losing the life of one loved one can be devastating – I can’t begin to fathom the sorrow experienced by the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones in the war.

Memorial Day is a sobering day. It’s when many Americans take time to reflect on the many souls who have sacrificed themselves to protect our country. These brave souls sacrificed themselves to protect our way of life, our democracy, and our values. They died to protect their families, their friends, and complete strangers, like you and me.

Let’s read that again. Our soldiers sacrificed themselves for you, me, and all Americans. They didn’t sacrifice themselves for Democrats, Republicans, or a specific political party. They sacrificed themselves for America.

Our country is politically polarized - different political parties never seem to agree on anything, especially on war. However, on Memorial Day, it’s important to set aside our political rhetoric and to stand united in solemn appreciation of our fallen soldiers.

Standing together in unity doesn’t violate your freedom of speech or the right to debate.

Choosing to set aside political differences in appreciation of brave servicemen and women is exercising our right to national unity.

For one day out of the year, let us set aside our political differences and remember the people who made all of our freedoms possible.

God Bless,

Jonathan A. Lu