Real Women Fight Back

250 YEARS – TAKING BACK our COUNTRY in 2026!

Wherever we are on this 2026 Independence Day — 250 years from the nation’s initial Declaration of Independence in 1776 — we should face it with with deep sobriety as well as gratitude. We can add joy at the sight of our glorious National Mall in its new state of restoration!

This nation has been under attack in unprecedented ways.

Freedom is not free. It has always had to be fought for. It is not a place where everything IS free (often at the expense of others) — it is a place where sovereign individuals are free to live in and contribute to a society within a system of laws and principles that best lead to equal opportunity for prosperity and peace. It does not mean everyone is equal in abilities or achievements, but in the freedom to pursue dreams and goals, and a good life, based on values, merit and effort.

A New Dawn for America

Leading up to this 250th anniversary, understanding of the steady framework provided for a true and free Republic — our Constitution — has become precipitously eroded. Education has failed to sustain and faithfully instruct generations about the nation’s foundational principles and those who gave their lives to defend them.

Two hundred and fifty years is a long time, and corruption is not an anomaly in human events. As surely as gravity pulls down, negative aspects of human nature, if not battled against, become the wide and easy path that leads to destruction. Instead of dedicated citizens and elected leaders correctly representing the needs of the people, laxity on the electorate’s side gives rise to a self-appointed aristocracy which resists dethroning and constantly wars against those legislators endeavoring to correctly carry out their responsibilities.

The United States is a representative democracy, blending aspects of a Republic and a democracy. The danger of a pure “democracy” was best summarized by Thomas Jefferson, who said: “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”

Have we seen this???

In a true Republic, on the other hand, political power rests with the public and their elected representatives. Power is exercised according to a constitution or charter, a core principle of which is the “rule of law”. That rule of law includes a system of checks and balances to protect minorities from the absolute will of the majority. The rule of law is the stabilizer.

In recent times, due in large part to the infuence of the media (including social media), we have witnessed minorities subverting the will of the majority through the sheer force of public “presence”. Those who shout the loudest appear to have the force of numbers whether that is a fallacy or not.

Our Pledge of allegiance includes the words… “and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all…” not just the ones with the loudest voice. “Loud” is not a qualification for lawful correctness.

Peace and freedom cannot thrive where lawlessness prevails.

This nation needs a new dawn — not a new beginning but a restoration and rebirth of what its founders toiled over from their own intense experiences with tyranny. America has been reliving the birth pangs of its first birth in 1776, with 140 times the population, almost 9 times the landmass and difficulties never imagined in the past. But hence our national emblem…the eagle…

Bald eagle flying and gliding slowly and majestic on the sky over high mountains.

The eagle was chosen as our national emblem for its qualities of strength, freedom and independence, symbolizing God’s majesty, protection, and renewed strength — the ability to RISE above the STORMS. The eagle’s watchful eye and swift descent is reflective of God’s judgment, which may seem long in coming but in the end, precise in its execution.

Let’s celebrate this 4th of July with gratitude for our fighters at all levels, with a special salute to our military. And let us also be fighters wherever we are called to uphold what our forefathers fought for. [Recommend reading this site’s article, “The Power of One”; all it takes is one first step!]

©Copyright 2026 Nancy Diraison/Diraison Publishing; All Rights Reserved. July, 2026 /Respectful sharing permitted with appropriate source credit and link back to this website. Copyright infringement constitutes fraud and theft.

Please visit our RedBubble site (Nancy4RWFB19) with products for this time in America’s history.

Dreamstime photo credits:

Fireworks over Capital Mall:ID 448627908 © Olga Lepeshkina | Dreamstime.com

New Dawn over Mt. RushmoreID 99536690 © Goldilock Project | Dreamstime.com

Eagle swooping over valley:ID 278181366 © Mykhailo Polenok | Dreamstime.com

Child w/father/fireworks: ID 149546350© Konstantin Iuganov| Dreamstime.com

BRINGING BACK FATHERS on Father’s Day, 2026

(Note: All photo credits posted at the end of this article).

This is 2026, and June 21st is Father’s Day. This day reminds me of a personal experience from decades ago, when a highly respected Hollywood voice coach shared his observations with me about the impact of fathers on the lives of children.

Many of his students were young people aspiring to fame, hoping it would fill the void they had experienced growing up — situations where prosperity could not mitigate the pain of growing up without the security and comfort of parents reliably present and in traditional settings.

During my first audition with the respected Hollywood voice coach a singular question was posed to me.

The Maestro was not taking new students. He was 86 years old, survived numerous health challenges, and had no hesitations about turning students away. Trained as a young man at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Milan, Italy, and after opening to excellent reviews in New York City decades previous to my meeting him, he had decided to teach rather than perform. He earned his reputation as the “Hollywood Starmaker”, perhaps a label since applied to others, as this was a long time ago.

I was granted the audition thanks to the fortuitous referral of an existing student. As the vocal testing proceeded, the Maestro chatted intermittently. He wanted only serious students, not the type expecting to become billable superstars in two weeks. He’d seen and rejected quite a few of those. In Milano, they studied hard for ten full years before being allowed to take the stage. In America it was not unusual for young people to think they could get all the training they needed for a “big break” in two weeks!

A first fiasco is never the recommended way to launch a career — or a life! To perform well requires an underpinning of confidence not achieved without years of preparation, professionally and personally.

At the Maestro’s behest, I discussed my business pursuits, personal interests, goals, etc. He asked me no detailed questions about my childhood. Near the conclusion of the session, however, this very wise man lowered his head a bit, looked straight into my eyes and said:

“You had a mother at home growing up, didn’t you?”

Surprised, I said, “Well, yes, I did”.

And he said, “I can tell”, as he shook his head. Because Hollywood was full of aspiring and even successful people who never had what he discerned as a luxury from my past. Wealth measured nothing to what he felt carried more weight with a child than the security and attention of a mother at home. He said he recognized an unmistakable core of confidence evident in those raised in traditional homes, with both parents involved, compared to those raised — with or without wealth — when those patterns were broken. Home is a child’s first “stage” — where the child’s sense of worth is established through the love and attention of parents and close family. The time and setting is precious, and passes quickly.

A mother at home. What does that mean, what does that require, and what does that accomplish?

First, to have a mother at home means there must be another means of support. There must be a husband, father, provider. That is the traditional family. If the father is missing, then Mom is missing, too, most often working an outside job, and overly stressed with the rest of her duties.

The first stage of development — the stage where a newborn learns his or her value and acceptance — is in the arms and presence of his or her family.

The father makes it possible for the mother to devote herself entirely to her household and family, which means the children never have to wonder if there’s anyone home to take care of their bruises, answer their questions, help with schoolwork, feed, clothe and otherwise see to their comforts and security. No latchkey syndrome. And then there is Dad, always at work, but he comes home. The children know him, get excited when he shows up. Dad is the stabilizing force in the home, and so very, very special.

Mom is the anchor to the children’s development. If she does her job exceedingly well, she imparts wisdom, good character lessons and the kind of self-discipline needed for success in life and work later. Her hard work allows the father to focus on his own responsibilities which are huge, because everything rests on his shoulders, and the children can see that, or should. Assuming the father is also doing his job, not just in his career but in the home, we have a secure model for children to develop in. The father’s presence imparts strength, confidence and a sense of security that lasts for life.

Is there anything wrong with the traditional picture?

No. In principle, the traditional model is ideal. In practice, because people are imperfect, the model does not always work as it should, but statistics abound supporting it.

In the end, if the model is broken, everyone suffers, but children suffer the most, because going forward in life they have no memory of a working model to replicate.

In the Maestro’s life, what he witnessed most often were young people desperate to find security and confidence in the attention and praise of others, in an effort to fill the void they grew up with. No amount of applause would ever replace the empty home, especially if that home was empty — or half-empty — because Mom, Dad — or both — were too busy elsewhere getting applause for themselves. Full-time maids, caregivers and lavish gifts never replaced the time, the hugs, and the precious small moments missed in those early years.

My coach was right. My early life was rich with the luxury of having two attentive parents. I received gifts that could never be undone. I have memories from when I was only several months old. Those times when my tummy hurt late at night, and Mom needed her sleep, so Daddy would hold me against his shoulder, his big hand spread securely across my back… He would lose his own sleep walking back and forth across the darkened room until I stopped crying and went to sleep. That was the love of a father. There were good times and not-so-good times, but he was there, and that is what mattered. And Mom knew she was not alone, always supported.

To live well, like performing, requires an underpinning of confidence. That is one of the enormous gifts that men bequeath to their children. The children gain that knowing they are worthy of the father’s attention. To diminish those roles is like building a house on sand, sure to fall in the storms. The strongest foundations are those which include both parents. That is the first “stage” in life where children learn they are valued and loved.

©Copyright 2017/2026 Nancy Diraison/Diraison Publishing; All Rights Reserved. June 21, 2026 / (Revised from Father’s Day, 2017) Respectful sharing permitted with appropriate source credit and link back to this website. Copyright infringement constitutes fraud and theft.

For more encouragement on traditional families, see our article, “Do You Work? In Honor of the Stay-at-Home Mom”

Dreamstime photo credits:

Headline image/family: ID 119764842© Lightfieldstudiosprod| Dreamstime.com

Father/son on motorcycle: ID 108788332© Rawpixelimages| Dreamstime.com

Young performer facing empty stage: ID 325490159© Ylivdesign| Dreamstime.com

Parents holding baby: ID 91377881© Inara Prusakova| Dreamstime.com

Mom rocking baby: ID 10549890© Goldenkb| Dreamstime.com

Family on couch:ID 71523939© Monkey Business Images| Dreamstime.com

Little girl reaching for father’s hand: ID 186934333© Natali Filina| Dreamstime.com

Boy looking up at father: ID 1170080© Elena Elisseeva| Dreamstime.com

Father holding up son: Father/baby son: ID 165577683© Nelson Ikheafe| Dreamstime.com

Do You Work??? (In Honor of the Stay-at-home Mom!)

Do you work???

What?

If that isn’t potentially the most insulting question anyone can ask a woman who works 24-7 in a household, I don’t know what is.

“Do you work?”

When do you not work?

I recall when my family lived in a suburb outside Chicago, circa 1960, and every woman “worked”. Every woman worked all shifts, day and night, tending to her family and household.

There was one aberration in the neighborhood — a curiosity, in fact. Just across from our house, another suburban home had two cars, not just one. Most needed only one.

Every morning the Mrs. exited her home dressed in high heels and office attire. She was gone all day and came home in the evening, just like her husband. Besides that they mostly kept to themselves. Children brought about interaction between neighbors, but that couple, though friendly, no one knew much about.

They were the only childless family on the block. I was especially aware because I was the chief babysitter for everyone else. In those days, you didn’t need CPR certifications and business licenses to babysit or run lemonade stands. It was pretty cool. A kid could learn many things by providing a neighborhood service and have a full piggy bank, too.

Of course we knew the lady in the high heels worked. We never questioned if the other women worked.

So what happened?

When did “work” become equated only to a standard paycheck? And when did it become demeaning not to have one? [This is despite the fact that studies showed a woman in the 1980’s doing all the usual tasks of running a household was worth $50,000 in equivalent outside services.]

For years before I had my own family, I was a manager in many businesses, launched newsletters, worked in many consulting fields and finally co-founded my own company all while running several other projects on the side.

Of course I worked. But not in the same manner of sacrifice as a full-time homemaker. I actually had moments to myself, time off, and predictable rewards. If I wanted to load myself up, all I had to do was ask to take someone else’s kids off their hands for an afternoon or longer and take them someplace. That usually eviscerated the rest of my stamina. It creates a drain that is hard to describe.

It is true that working for a regular job is instantly more gratifying. There are paychecks, bonuses, vacations to look forward to, and even appreciation from co-workers and superiors (maybe). You don’t get thrown up on. Not usually (not true in the health care field). Women who have worked office or other jobs and then transition to being stay-at-home wives and mothers often miss those benefits, unless they have a particularly appreciative family.

There is very little, if any, satisfaction of “completion” with any work done in the home. It’s always repeat, repeat, repeat, and human beings, especially little ones, being what they are, crisis follows crisis, problem follows problem, until notoriously enough, there’s hardly time to go to the bathroom.

So I think it’s time to level the playing field. There is no such thing as a super-woman if only because no one has more than twenty-fours in a day, and part of that has to be sleep. I know because if anyone could have done it all, I would have. I knew better. I’d already done everything, just not all at once. When I had children later in life, I focused on what I knew was going to be my biggest job ever. And it was. And still is. It cost me, but I gained something else.

I have a marvelous sense of completion. Hurray! I DIDN’T MISS ANYTHING! Any of my other jobs could have been done by someone else, but nobody — NO ONE — could be the one and only true “mom” to my children. I didn’t miss any of my children’s silly moments, didn’t miss their first steps or their first words. I searched out their talents and nurtured those, then home schooled through their elementary years. I missed no opportunity to teach and correct while we played. Kids who end up raising each other without an on-duty parent have no such advantage. There were tough moments, many of them. But when it came time for graduation, and for leaving home, I was ready. Totally ready. I had finished, done my job. No regrets. No empty nest syndrome either. Just an immense feeling of achievement and an eagerness to resume my prior interests having grown myself from the sacrifices I’d made.

So, did I work? What a silly question.

Please don’t ask women who stay home if they “work”. Those who manage or try to do both, kudos if it works for a while, but no one can be two places at once. Eventually the burnout comes, when time has passed, and there is no way to recapture the lost moments.

Copyright 2017/2026 Nancy Diraison/Diraison Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Respectful sharing permitted with appropriate source credit and link back to this website. Copyright infringement constitutes fraud and theft.

Dreamstime photo credit (overworked housewife):

ID 32191317© Ipag| Dreamstime.com

FLAG DAY, June 14, 2026

THE IMPORTANCE OF A “REPUBLIC” — AND WHY WE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO IT.

Benjamin Franklin was once asked which was the best form of government, and he replied: “A Republic — if you can keep it.”

There are reasons a Republic can be lost if it is not vigorously fought for and reclaimed when it is at risk. Those are the truths defining these times.

The history of the stars and stripes flag of the United States is inextricably shared with America’s military, which shares the same birthdate. The American Continental Army was established on June 14th, 1775, two years before the flag was designated.

On June 14, 1777 the Second Continental Congress passed a Flag Resolution officially adopting the stars and stripes, the red standing for hardiness and valor, the white for purity and innocence.

President Wilson issued a proclamation in 1916 establishing the date as Flag Day, and President Truman followed by an Act of Congress officially designating the day as national Flag Day in 1949.

WHY WE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE “REPUBLIC”

The pledge of allegiance to the flag was originally penned by Baptist minister Francis Bellamy in 1892. The pledge went through several revisions until the most recent, in 1954, when the words “under God” were added. Congress had officially recognized the Pledge and included it in the U.S. Flag Code in 1942. By the time events of 1945 had passed, and the close of World War II, it had become evident that without the power of God involved, continuity of any nation is questionable. [See this site’s article on “Dunkirk”]

The flag and the pledge are key symbols of the freedom purchased for us thanks to the sacrifice of many. As President Reagan famously stated: “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.”

As this nation stands at the crossroads of its 250th year of existence, we should consider the words carefully: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

A Republic stands on the shoulders of its citizens. They are the ones called upon to carefully select representatives to support the Constitution, to interpret, write and uphold the laws, and to defend THE PEOPLE.

Elected positions in a Republic are intended to be temporary. This is not a majority rule as is the basis of a technically named “democracy”, wherein minority opinions are blocked out. A Republic is also not a monarchy wherein the people have no voice. Positions in a Republic require due diligence and a commitment to ethics. The Constitution was brilliantly thought out and drafted to achieve the most equitable system ever contrived by man, by men who had learned from, studied and also suffered under the faults of opposite systems.

There are several conditions which erode a Republic. The most dangerous one is public apathy. The delegation of responsibility for the nation leads to abdication of that responsibility to those elected, resulting in the rise of corruption, special interest groups and demagoguery. Ambitious and unscrupulous leaders often use populism, misinformation and deceit to gain power. This results in a self-appointed aristocracy that refuses to be dethroned!

The rise and expansion of media has added fuel to the fire for either good or evil purposes. The larger the population, the more expensive elections become, the more excellent candidates can be choked off for lack of funding. Those who cannot pay to be seen and heard stand no chance or opportunity to serve. This is something our founding fathers could not have foreseen, when the public square was “the media”. In today’s reality, there is more need, and more pressure, for citizens to connect in person with existing and aspiring legislators — attending Town Halls and communicating directly with them and their staff.

There is nothing wrong with power and wealth, when rightly utilized, as for promoting worthy aspiring candidates, but it more often serves as fertile ground for the growth of greed, selfishness and corruption. As long as election to office depends on how much money is spent, we are on a slippery slope. Education has failed to prepare multiple generations for the large responsibilities granted with voting, but that is not within the scope of this article to address.

A fundamental difficulty with a Republic is that its benefits can be undermined by the lack of a central figurehead such as exists in a monarchy. Kings benefit from the tendency of people to worship pomp, splendor and power. It is also easier for a citizen to delegate decisions to others than to add to one’s daily toil with concern for the future. Political parties are useful but also aggravate divisive tendencies, weakening a middle ground for moderates. This is precisely what makes the Constitution so important.

The Constitution is “king”! It holds the final voice, with carefully crafted terms for modification if and when warranted. It survives the turnover of Administrations. It is the lighthouse in the storm, the central pillar by which to filter and analyze legislation and pertinent judiciary actions. This is why attacks on the Constitution increasingly gridlock the U.S. Supreme Court, as many of the lower Courts lack the will or discernment to render the right decisions at lower levels.

2026 is a pivotal and defining year for the Republic of the United States. The question is: “Will we keep it?” It is teetering at this time. Can we save it?

Photo credits from Dreamstime:

Featured image: Soldier with flag: ID 105184264© Cateyeperspective| Dreamstime.com

Father and child celebrating liberty: ID 149546350 © Konstantin Iuganov | Dreamstime.com

Flag in the wind: Proprietary.

250th: ID 449306465© Yuliia Koltukova| Dreamstime.com

Eagle/Flag/Constitution: ID 42031934© Steve Allen| Dreamstime.com

MEMORIAL DAY 2026

MEMORIAL DAY… reaching out soberly and in gratitude for all those whose lives have been and continue to be spent in protecting our freedoms — those abroad and those at home. Some will be lost today. Others are remembering the cost they and others have paid. Let us take nothing for granted.

Silent reflection is appropriate, along with the sober realization that if we do not all as “we the people” fight for our freedoms, and support those leading the charge, no efforts to preserve them will endure beyond our current distress. As in 1776, so in 2026. We live in precarious times.

Many in 1776 did not know the nation was in jeopardy; some wrongly clung to an abusive establishment as their comfort zone; only the few led the charge to freedom. REMEMBER! What was won in the past has been forgotten while people slumbered, but reclaiming freedom is the privilege, duty, right and massive reward available to all. Let us all be on the front lines of whatever we can contribute, while there is yet time. Generations to come depend on it. No task is too small, no contribution insignificant.

John F. Kennedy’s most famous quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” This quote, delivered in his inaugural address, encourages civic engagement and service to the nation. It is considered one of the most memorable and inspiring lines in American political history.

The present war is for our Constitutional freedoms, for a restoration and refinement of justice based on the our foundational documents and the Rule of Law, without which peace will never be attainable.

Those who carry the scars — those who remember and re-enact history for the sake of remembrance… This is their day… We owe gratitude to them and their loved ones for their sacrifices.

We choose to win this war for our future or we lose it. Let us approach our 250th anniversary with boldness, courage and absolute faith in our God who upholds those who fight for what is right and just.

Dreamstime photo credits:

Featured photo: Memorial Day ID 116144170© Janece Flippo| Dreamstime.com

Flame/Eternal Flame/soldier: ID 130634287© Kbolbik| Dreamstime.com

Three soldiers at the ready: ID 60779943© Oleg Zabielin| Dreamstime.com

John F. Kennedy photo: D 93158844 © Indy2320 | Dreamstime.com

Scales of justice/hammer: ID 66558437 © Flynt | Dreamstime.com

Constitution/Decl. of Indep. ID 161486879 © David Burke | Dreamstime.com

Citizens victorious: ID 109863961© Mrsash174| Dreamstime.com

Independence Day = Freedom Day!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR JULY 4, 2025

(Part II of II)

IF WE LOVE FREEDOM… FAMILY, COUNTRY, ONE NATION UNDER GOD…

IF WE WANT PEACE, PROSPERITY, SAFETY…. A FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN THAT IS WORTHY OF THIS NATION’S POTENTIAL… AS NEVER SEEN BEFORE…

IF WE LOVE ALL OF THE ABOVE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR FLAG STANDS FOR… LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS… OBTAINED AT A GREAT PRICE AND MUCH SACRIFICE BY MANY…

IF WE UNDERSTAND THE PASSION BEHIND THE FAMOUS WORDS: “GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!” SPOKEN BY PATRICK HENRY AT THE VIRGINIA CONVENTION ON MARCH 23, 1775…

THEN LET US BE AS FAITHFUL TO THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR AND DEFEND US AS THEY ARE TO US — THOSE WHO ENDURE HARDSHIPS AND RISK EVERYTHING FOR “WE THE PEOPLE”. MAY GOD PRESERVE THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES, WHATEVER THEIR OCCUPATIONS. LET US PRAY OUR TROOPS BE FORTIFIED, PROTECTED AND GRANTED SUCCESS AS THEY UPHOLD THEIR OATHS, EVEN AS WE LIGHT THEIR WAY WITH OUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT.

JULY 4, 2025 IS A TURNING POINT FOR AMERICA. WHAT THE NATION’S FOUNDERS ENGRAINED INTO ITS FOUNDATIONS MUST BE VIGOROUSLY SEIZED AND RESTORED OR LOST FOREVER. FREEDOM HAS NEVER BEEN “FREE”. IT IS A REWARD FOR COURAGE!

ON SEPTEMBER 23, 1779, FAMOUS REVOLUTIONARY PATRIOT JOHN PAUL JONES, WHILE ENGAGED IN BATTLE OFF THE COAST OF YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND, EXCLAIMED TO THE BRITISH COMMANDER CHALLENGING HIM TO SURRENDER: “I HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO FIGHT!”

CAPTAIN JONES’ SHIP, THE “BONHOMME RICHARD” WAS FATED TO SINK AFTER THE BATTLE AND AT THE COST OF MANY LIVES, BUT NOT BEFORE HE FORCED BOTH THE BRITISH “SERAPIS” AND ANOTHER TO SURRENDER. HE CAPTURED BOTH!!!

WE CAN BEST HONOR OUR PREDECESSORS BY NEVER GIVING UP. THE HARDER TIMES ARE, THE GREATER THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE AS LIGHTS FOR OTHERS…

A perfect storm is the perfect setting for lights to shine in the dark!!!

Suggested reading reference: This site’s article, “The Power of One”.

© Copyright Nancy Diraison/Diraison Publishing, July 2, 2025. All Rights Reserved. Respectful sharing permitted with appropriate source credit and link back to this website. Copyright infringement constitutes fraud and theft. Respectful sharing permitted with appropriate credits.

Dreamstime photo credits:

Fireworks: ID 94147401 @ Dmytro Balkovitin/Dreamstime.com

Family/beach: Photo 16635513 © Michal Bednarek | Dreamstime.com

Semper Fidelis: Photo 185251780 © Calvin L. Leake | Dreamstime.com

U.S. Flag: Source unknown.

Army Rangers: Photo 60779943 © Oleg Zabielin | Dreamstime.com

John Paul Jones: Photo ID 374820897 © Memedesimo | Dreamstime.com

Lighthouse beacon: ID 51212925© Chris Boswell| Dreamstime.com

INDEPENDENCE DAY, July 4, 2025 – Remembering WHY we will observe it! Because Freedom is not Free!

Fourth Of July Fireworks Over San Diego Bay, California*

Part I of II

Wherever we will be on this 2025 Independence Day, and whatever we have planned, let’s remember our freedom is NOT FREE. If we don’t fight for it, we can and will lose it. History warns us of that. President Reagan stated: “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.”

We have already lost much that must be recaptured. The past several years in particular have witnessed painful reminders of the immense jeopardy we are in if we do not fight for what others secured for us at great cost and sacrifice.

Memories have grown dim in this country, but there are some in other nations who have not forgotten their past liberations by the U.S. military. I have seen tears in the eyes of those who remembered for a long time the horrors of war. As children in WWII, many watched their families, towns and lives destroyed. They lived in fear — millions of them — and it was never going to end. Husbands, fathers, brothers, very young boys, were mercilessly gunned down in front of women and children, just for being civilians in the wrong places at the wrong time. Those who experienced it or heard it from their elders point to the precise locations. There was no hope UNTIL the day American tanks rolled into their towns, and the people went wild with joy!

On Liberation Day, August 5, 1945, for one town in Northwestern France — when the first U.S. tank arrived:

At commemorative events, held annually on the anniversaries of their liberation, local citizens and visitors join in singing our U.S. national anthem with the same zeal they hold for their own, laying flowers at the tombs of fallen American soldiers, and honoring our flag. They organize re-enactments of key events, employing restored vehicles, equipment and even uniforms abandoned after the war and carefully restored. For those who participate it wasn’t that long ago. Let us not make their past our future. Who would be our deliverers?

Re-enactment of arrival of American troops in Brittany, France in August, 1945. © Exclusive Photo by Nancy Diraison, August, 2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.

I was privileged to ride in the back seat of this restored American jeep several summers ago when revisiting the trail of General Patton’s Sixth Division in northwestern France. Even the uniforms, etc. were authentic relics. Very sobering considering the forgetfulness our great nation suffers from!

U.S. Military re-enactment, 2017. Original vehicle restored. Deliverance of sections of Brittany, France on August 5, 1945. ©Exclusive copyright photo Nancy Diraison. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.

We must fight back and restore what we have been losing. It’s everyone’s job! Quoting again from President Reagan: “Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid!”

Freedom is not lost by accident — it is lost by the design of some and the slumber and neglect of others.

Part II of 2025 Independence Day posts next week.

© Copyright Nancy Diraison/Diraison Publishing, June 27, 2025. All Rights Reserved. Respectful sharing permitted with appropriate source credit and link back to this website. Copyright infringement constitutes fraud and theft.

Dreamstime Stock photos:

Headline Photo: *Fourth Of July Fireworks Over San Diego Bay, California

Soldier with flag

VETERANS DAY 2025 – Sober Reflections on the sacrifices made by our military

VETERANS DAY dawns with a new poignancy in 2025. As we contemplate the sacrifices made for our freedom in the past, most notably on shores far away from ours, this year everything is different. Our need for deliverance may not be so far away as in the past.

Our military is pledged by oath to defend our Constitution above all. The high costs of winning and maintaining peace and freedom can only be vindicated through eternal citizen vigilance and the accurate teaching of history. Those who forget are doomed to repeat, and those who remember become scarce.

US Army soldier with US flag at a military parade

On this D-day as observed by our allies in Britain, a remarkable testimony from a former Royal Navy serviceman appeared on a national interview, stating clearly that the sacrifices of his fallen comrades in WWII were not worth it given the state of that nation today. The veteran, Alec Penstone, a centenarian, sadly stated:

“My message is, I can see in my mind’s eye those rows and rows of white stones and all the hundreds of my friends and everybody else, that gave their lives – for what? The country of today? …No, I’m sorry – but the sacrifice wasn’t worth the result that it is now… What we fought for was our freedom — we fought for it. Even now, it’s a darn sight worse than when I fought for it.”

The methods of war have changed, as have the terrains on which they are fought, dulling humanity’s ability to recognize the onset of oppression and tyranny. The erosion of FREEDOM takes many forms, the most dangerous of them psychologically subtle. Losses include: (1) the power or right to act, speak or think free of despotic oppression; (2) the sly onset of subjection to foreign domination or gradually invasive domestic despotic government, (3) increasing fears or acts of being imprisoned or enslaved for exercising natural and Constitutional freedoms. These points alone should register loud and clear on our annual Veterans Day.

The fight for freedom has never been confined to distant shores where so many of our soldiers have sacrificed; it is wherever we reside, work, and in the schools we send our children to. We can best honor our veterans by courageously entering the battles closest to us. The power of one is immense. Remembering John F. Kennedy’s words: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Our time is now. It always has been.

By this time next year, if there is a next year, what do we want our hindsight to look like? What will we have done, or not done, in contribution to the outcome?

For related reading, see this site’s article, “The Power of One”.

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Leffrinckoucke, France – january 26 2020 : the Fort des Dunes necropolis of the battle of Dunkerque D 198267617 © Philippehalle | Dreamstime.com

The Importance of “One” – When the clock is Ticking against planet Earth

Previously we have written about “The Power of One” (this site’s August 5, 2020 post), where we focused on how to be that “one” who makes a difference. Roles may be small or large, obvious or discreet, but there is always something for everyone to do. Not all can be Schindler*; we give as we are able. Not all have power. But even in the days of the Underground Railroad, small acts along the way made it possible for others to be helped or saved.

Presently the world is reeling from attacks in a myriad of forms. The illusion of stability is shattered, and only those whose eyes are completely shut would not notice. Many are suffering hardships, some intensely so. Most feel helpless. Can anyone make a dent? Is it even worth trying?

In this article we wish to emphasize the incredible importance of “One”. Too many underestimate what they can do to bolster outcomes. Timidity (lack of courage or confidence) is often what holds people back — not believing they can make a difference. Courage is what conquers timidity. The behaviors are opposites, and both are embedded in habits which can only be broken by the power of human will.

Courage cannot be “gifted”; it must be self-generated one step at a time. One can pray to receive it (along with vital wisdom), but the action belongs to the individual. Free moral agency is granted to us by our Creator, who desires good and hopes we will choose it, but He wills himself not to force it on us. Otherwise we learn nothing, build no character, and remain weak.

How important are the decisions we make? We may have no idea and that’s part of the backbone required to act. There is often no guarantee of outcomes, except that doing nothing leaves nothing in the rear view mirror for us to learn from.

We can gain insights by studying the acts of others who have turned the tide in the past. There are far more unsung heroes than known ones, and some about whom books are written which are well worth reading. Stories emerge from all walks of life, some from military history. “PT 109″(**) is one this author read at an early age, among many others. PT-109 was the 80-foot Elco PT boat (patrol torpedo boat) last commanded by Lieutenant (junior grade) John F. Kennedy, future United States president. The incident occurred in the Solomon Islands campaign of the Pacific theater during World War II when the boat was attacked, cut in two, and sunk, with 2 of the 13 crew members killed instantly. But the rest of the 11 had stories to tell…because they had a leader. In that instance, John F. Kennedy was the “one” who made a difference.

The importance is not in the size of the act, but that it happens at all. A child who stops another from throwing rocks at a puppy or from bullying another has made a difference. It starts small.

The firewall against evil is built one act, one prayer at a time.

One enormous insight, seldom referred to, was recorded by the prophet Ezekiel at a time when his nation was about to be destroyed for its massive moral departures. In Chapter 22, verse 30 (recommended relevant context before and after that verse): “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it, and I found no one.” Not one.

How strong is our impact?

We can be “no one” or we can be “someone”. It’s a choice. All it takes is one, whether others follow or not. That is what takes courage. We can be the firewall. All it takes is one.

Footnote: *Oskar Schindler (born April 28, 1908, Svitavy [Zwittau], Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now in the Czech Republic]—died October 9, 1974, Hildesheim, West Germany) was a German industrialist who, aided by his wife and staff, sheltered approximately 1,100 Jews from the Nazis by employing them in his factories…

**Details on PT-109 history: JFK and PT-109: A Sailor’s Assessment

By Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, U.S. Navy (Retired) August 2023, Naval History

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2023/august/jfk-and-pt-109-sailors-assessment

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In Memory of Those Who Served

For the 1.1 Million U.S. soldiers who perished in its combined wars, we offer a moment of silence on this Memorial Day, 2024.

For all those still serving, let us pray for a day when peace prevails over war, when all who serve can come home. This question has become more important during the last 100 years because a century ago most people killed in wars were professionals. At the beginning of the twentieth century only 10%-15% of those who died in war were civilians. In World War 2 more than 50% of those who died were civilians. Those who make the decisions to start wars need to consider:

Kennedy, 1962. “Our goal is not the victory of might but the vindication of right…not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom, here in this hemisphere, and, we hope, around the world.

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