They, and all those who fought alongside them, shall be forever remembered as the men and women who allow us to enjoy the freedoms of this country. They did not fight for entitlement, divisiveness, or any of the contentions that tear a country apart. Their sacrifice was for unity, prosperity, and humanity. All else lives in the shadow of, and is made possible by, their immense devotion.
And though these next words were spoken 160 years ago, they are as true today as they were then. ". . . we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here, have, thus far, so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." (Abraham Lincoln, from The Gettysburg Address)
