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| “For those who have fought for it, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know” |
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As I sit pondering over the past few years, I can only thank God and my Marines for bringing me home from a war with only a few scars. The same holds true for the political prosecutions that followed, and my sitting here today in my home in Kentucky unscathed. It is hard, I believe, for a man to be humble, doubly so for a Marine to put aside his unbridled pride and accept a helping hand during his time of need … to ask for that help while fighting an uphill battle. While pondering, I’m taken back by the quote etched in the glass of my military awards shadow box that sits in my living room. It reads: “For those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.” Sitting next to this is a plaque one of my brother Marines awarded me upon my acquittal; he calls it my 2nd Award of Freedom. I’m taken back to the front lines in Fallujah, Iraq … the front lines in that California courtroom upon my return. And when the flood of emotions … the memories … when they creep up and take me back, I’m always reminded of, and brought back by, the people and the things that got me through. Today, I still thank God … I still thank my Marines … and just as importantly, I thank all of you—my friends, family, and all those individuals who showed support and helped to carry my wife Amanda and me as we stumbled forward—up that hill into battle. Collectively, I think of each and every one of you reading this as my family, our beacon of strength and safety, where we lean when life gets hard. I’m ashamed to think that my pride led me to believe that my “flavor of freedom” was something nobody else could know. According to this quote, all of you are referred to as “the protected.” All of you are the Americans, according to this, who have the luxury of freedom but take its depth for granted. Today I sit here humbled … for you—my family … understand the breadth of freedom, and have fought for it, thus genuinely experiencing that coveted “flavor.” Amanda and I are humbled and forever grateful for the generosity and persistent—unwavering support from all of you. We are ever indebted to you as a family for the love, donations, thoughts, and prayers that carried us through these times … I wish I could award each and every one of you a tangible bit of freedom to keep in your living rooms, but can only hope it wells up inside you as Americans who have fought for it … for that, you truly are. Many say that it is the servicemen and women who are the heroes of our country, but I believe it is you, the American citizens who love and support us, who bring us through the fires and take freedom for themselves—for what it is and all it is worth—and continue to fight to preserve it for all. I wrote to you last year at the onset of my dilemma, and asked that you be exactly who you are, a community, a people of kind sacrifice for everyone, and that you believe in me as you always have. I asked for your kind hearts and soft words to help Amanda and me through. We asked for your donations and support, and without fail … without hesitation or doubt, you came through with more than we could ask … and for that, for all that you are and all that you’ve done for my family and me, we sincerely thank you—we love each and every one of you with a unique and personal touch of the ties that bind us all. And as I wrote in my first correspondence, “simply put—thank you.” Saepe Expertus, Semper Fidelis, Frater Infinitas— Often Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever -Ryan and Amanda Weemer |
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