"This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny." – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Who will one day write a tribute to the young Americans fighting now in Afghanistan and Iraq? Who will honor these warriors—mostly young—who do battle today against a fanatical enemy that is energized and driven by a hideous culture of death?

Syndicated columnist Suzanne Fields wrote the other day, “I've had the humbling honor to meet and talk to several of these splendid young men—men who suffered grievous wounds in places far from home . . . Yet [these young men] believe their sacrifice was right, and worth it. . . . They believe—as I do—that their fight was in behalf of a more secure world for all children. . . . ( “ The new great generation,” TownHall.com, December 27, 2004)

The common thread that binds our courageous warriors of today to the heroes of that earlier generation is the love of freedom that has always burned in the hearts of a people proud to call themselves Americans. The special people who have done battle for us in every generation have understood that freedom is not free.

The Afghanis held the first election in their history in October. It was a “history-maker,” made possible by American and coalition fighting forces who had put their lives on the line for freedom.

“Since July 2003, attacks on allied forces have declined, the power of regional warlords has diminished, militias are being disarmed, a moderate Islamic constitution is in place, and the elections on October 9 were conducted with relatively little violence and few irregularities.” Thus reads a New York Times report about a recent military assessment of Afghanistan.

Uncounted numbers of Afghani citizens got up before dawn and walked for miles to vote for a new leader on October 9. This writer read of one Afghan woman who appeared at her polling place on election day with two voter cards—one for herself and one for her daughter. She explained to the poll worker that she wished to vote twice because her daughter was not able to get to the polling place because she was giving birth that day. The poll worker explained that it would be illegal to allow the woman to vote twice. The woman cast her ballot and left the polling place. Later that day, the poll worker was surprised to see the woman appear again—this time, with her daughter, who was carrying a tiny, newborn infant in her arms. The daughter cast her ballot—and affirmed what Americans who fight in those faraway places understand best: freedom is the desire of every human heart . . . and it is not free.

The election process in Iraq will doubtless be much more volatile, but certain realities cannot be denied: Saddam Hussein is gone from power, his torture chambers are empty, and mass graves give mute testimony—if there should be any doubt whatever—to the horror he inflicted on tens of thousands of his own people.

Despite the enormous changes wrought by Operation Iraqi Freedom, the evil menace in the Middle East continues to thrive in the darkened minds of terrorists who skulk through back streets and alleyways, seeking opportunities to inflict death and destruction. But our warriors who have served there have seen joy in the faces of women and children who, for the first time in their earthly existence, are experiencing what it means to be free.

The strength that characterized the heroes of World War II lives today in the men and women who fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like that brave generation six decades ago, our fighting men and women today accept responsibility for doing their duty without anger or self-pity. There is a job to be done, and they are doing it.

Sadly, there is a cacophony of rancorous dissension here and abroad, driven by greed and political self-interest, that eclipses in the minds of some the moral obligation of decent nations to alleviate suffering imposed by tyrants and evil forms of government. We had hoped that political wrangling and divisiveness would dissipate in the days following September 11 as it did after Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, it has not.

But if we succeed in Afghanistan and Iraq, we will look back with justifiable pride on this current generation that has, without hesitation, answered the call of duty, honor, and country. They deserve our deep gratitude. May God bless them.

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