Rep. Michael Waltz, who served as a Green Beret commander in Afghanistan, called on Americans to be worthy of the sacrifices made by the military to keep their freedoms safe.
"Every day is Memorial Day for the families," the Florida Republican said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "I wake up every day personally thinking about the Green Berets that I lost, and they were my responsibilities. I was their commander. . . . I look at the mirror, put on this bracelet with one of my Green Berets, and say you are worthy. That's my message to America today is be worthy of their sacrifice."
Waltz added that it is important to think of the Gold Star families who do not have their loved ones, and who "are out there at those cemeteries doing without. . . . they need your support, they appreciate your support, and we should all appreciate them and we can give back by continuing to serve. Serve your neighbor, serve your community, serve your country, step up as they did and those that are no longer with us."
He also talked about the growing tensions between the United States and China, commenting that the Chinese Communist Party has been in a "cold war" with the United States for some time.
"Just read their leadership speeches where they seek to dominate a new world order, where China calls the shots and America doesn't, and I think of the wake of this virus, this will be a wake-up call for the country on what's going on.
China may not be seeking domination through military action, but "they seek to do it by stealing our technology, dominating us economically," said Waltz. "I did not almost die for this country and we didn't just lose so many Americans to grow up and future generations to grow up in a world led by the Chinese Communist Party. It is not the future that I fought for and that we lost Americans for."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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