Cost of freedom: Eternal vigilance

  • Published
  • By Col. Jon Sutterfield
  • 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Group commander
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan --  Most of us grew up in America, or as American citizens, and enjoyed the benefits of being an American to include pursuing the American Dream -- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

But we took it all for granted ... until Sept. 11, 2001 -- the day our homeland and people were attacked. 

This was simply the start of something bigger that Osama Bin Laden and his evil mates had planned for us. Their intent was and remains to put an end to the American Dream. 

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," Thomas Jefferson once said and it continues to hold true today. 

We here are doing our part to maintain the eternal vigilance necessary to protect our freedom so our families, children and their descendants can have life and liberty while pursuing or achieving happiness. 

So why are we here in Afghanistan and not at home defending America from within? 

The simple answer is if we don't take the fight to the enemy and their accommodating associates like the Taliban on their home turf, we'll end up fighting them in the parking lot of our local Wal-Mart. No Americans I know, whether for or against the war, want to fight the enemy in America. 

The more complex answer is we are not only making Afghanistan safe for democracy, but providing the initial security to ensure democracy survives while taking the fight to the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other insurgents. 

If we can bring political stability and ensure the rule of law and respect for human rights here until the state is able to perform those matters itself, we won't have to worry about Afghanistan supporting terrorists training here to wreak havoc in America and the rest of the free world. 

Ronald Reagan restated Thomas Jefferson's idea into slightly different words toward the end of the Cold War by saying, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." 

Freedom isn't free and the cost of maintaining it is eternal vigilance. As members of the U.S. military stationed in Afghanistan, we execute our combat skills, honed over the years at our home units, here in support of the War on Terrorism protecting the American Dream. 

We are doing our part to ensure America is eternally vigilant. Have no doubt the sacrifice and service each of us is contributing makes a positive difference toward achieving the goals of Operation Enduring Freedom and ultimately protects America and preserves the American Dream for future generations. 

We are the protectors of the American Dream.