Armed Forces Day

Tomorrow is Armed Forces Day. It's a good time to honor the men and women serving in our military, recognize their sacrifices, and try look for ways to support them.

On the Northern Alliance Radio Network Volume One (11am-1pm), we will be speaking with Staff Sergeant David Thul live from Iraq. Sgt. Thul is a member of the Minnesota National Guard and one of the organizers of the Appeal For Courage:

As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.

He was also the behind an effort to build up reading material for the troops in Iraq, which was detailed at Power Line here and here. And he had an opinion piece that appeared in the Star Tribune in March and was also covered by Power Line:

There can be no compromises in Iraq, no negotiated peace. The enemy here is radical Islam, whether in the sectarian violence in Baghdad that seeks to draw all of the Middle East into open war, or the terrorists of Al-Qaida here in the Anbar province who are looking for a new home base since we kicked them out of Afghanistan. If we pull out before the job is done, we will face not only the same chaos and genocide that we saw after pulling out of Vietnam, but we will leave Iraq in a power vacuum with greedy and ambitious neighbors on all sides.

I've now been deployed 2½ years of the 3½ years since my daughter was born. I would love nothing more than to be at home sharing in her young life and enjoying a Minnesota summer. But I want to come home with honor, knowing that I have helped to make the world she will live in a little safer.

We'll be discussing all of this and much more with Sgt. Thul tomorrow beginning around 11:15am. Scott Johnson from Power Line refers to Thul as the "pride of Minnesota" and those words seem especially apt on a day when we honor the armed forces. You can listen to the show locally on AM1280 The Patriot or live on the internet stream. If you'd like to ask Sgt. Thul a question or thank him for his service, give us a call at 651-289-4488.