Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– By Wynton Hall and Caspar Weinberger –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
through American history and fuels freedom. Like the waves of Americans who came before them, they are not embarrassed about their love for America nor do they hide it, and, as they readily confess, they don’t relate well to those who ever would. To them, America is worth dying for. And as their stories will reveal, instead of slogans, they have offered service—gritty, dangerous, tenacious service. They took these actions with the full knowledge that what they did would bring neither fame nor fortune. But when you ask them, they will tell you that’s all right. “After all,” one hero told us, “that isn’t why I joined.” He joined for the same reason anyone joins: to be part of something bigger than himself. This book is also our way of piercing the wall of noise surrounding the War on Terror. Debate is healthy. Indeed, in a representative democracy, it is essential. But when critics begin turning their rhetorical guns on the men and women of our armed forces that’s when it is time to say “Enough!” The United States is at war, and
the enemy we face is as dangerous and determined as any in our nation’s history. Although they will never seek our praise or accolades, the 2.4 million members of our armed forces deserve our prayers, support, and gratitude. They’ve more than earned it. Finally, having the privilege to get to know many of the individuals whose stories we recount and to learn about their experiences has been one of the great honors of our careers. In sharing their stories, we hope that Americans will reaffirm their appreciation and commitment to the men and women who, like the generations of American warriors before them, stand ready to do violence on our behalf. America did not start this War on Terror, but we will win it. And when we do, we will have them—the best among us—to thank for it. Let us not wait until then to begin expressing our gratitude. —————————————————————————— Source: Hall, Wynton and Caspar Weinberger. Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror. New York: Forge, 2006.
About Foundation Alumnus Wynton Hall
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Wynton Hall is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and alumnus of Young America’s Foundation’s 1995 Atlanta regional student conference. He has also addressed the Foundation’s National Conservative Student Conference. Labeled a “rising star” in the field of presidential communication, his work has been published in the New York Times, USA Today, Washington Times, International Herald Tribune, The Examiner, National Review Online, NewsMax, Human Events, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and elsewhere. Hall is a frequent guest on The O’Reilly Factor, The Michael Reagan Show, 700 Club, and C-SPAN’s Book TV. He is the author or co-author of four books: The Right Words (2007); Landmark Speeches of the American Conservative Movement, co-edited with Foundation Director Peter Schweizer (2007); Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror, co-authored with Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger (2006); and The Greatest Communicator: What Ronald Reagan Taught Me about Politics, Leadership, and Life, coauthored with Reagan advisor Dr. Richard Wirthlin (2004). Hall is a recipient of the Texas A&M University Distinguished Research Award. He also worked in the Florida Senate and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in elections, speechwriting, communications, and presidential rhetoric. He received his M.A. from Texas A&M University with an emphasis in rhetoric and public affairs and a B.A in political science from the University of Florida.
Young America’s Foundation • Libertas
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