Sean Hannity?s Memorial Day Gift

[thedrifter]

05-26-2003

Sean Hannity?s Memorial Day Gift



By Michael Canzoneri



With the war against Iraq recently over and the war against terrorism still underway, Memorial Day 2003 resonates with a depth of meaning that earlier commemorations probably lacked.



An important question is, how can we best remember those who have fallen in combat recently? Is placing a flag outside the house a sufficient gesture? Would a moment of silence or of prayer suffice? Or is there something more tangible that Americans can do to properly signal our respect, and our commemoration?



This Memorial Day, nationally syndicated television and talk-show host Sean Hannity has created a vehicle by which Americans can truly and directly honor those who gave their lives in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the fight against terrorism. (If you are unfamiliar with Hannity, SFTT co-founder Col. David Hackworth was a daily guest commentator on his nationwide radio show during Operation Iraqi Freedom.)



Hannity, who also co-hosts the Fox News highly-rated ?Hannity and Colmes? TV show, has created the Hannity Scholarship Fund in conjunction with the nonprofit Freedom Alliance. The scholarship benefits the children of the men and women who gave their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom.



The scholarship fund will be unveiled by the ?Welcome Home the Troops Show and Concert,? which will be held on July 11, 2003, at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J. The event will feature a live broadcast of Hannity?s talk show, currently ranked number two in the nation behind Rush Limbaugh, followed by a concert featuring country music stars Sara Evans, Darryl Worley, and the Charlie Daniels Band, with special guest retired Lt. Col. Oliver North. Tickets cost $35.99 plus tax apiece, including entrance to Six Flags Great Adventure, Hannity?s show, and the concert later on that night.



In case you cannot make it to New Jersey for the show, you can also donate money to the scholarship fund via the Freedom Alliance website.



The scholarship will be used to provide college scholarships to the children of the men and women killed in the line of duty. While SFTT does not endorse military related organizations or funds, this is a tangible and creditable way to help those who have suffered the lose of a parent or loved one in combat.



This scholarship marks a physical manifestation of something larger in scale: the visible gratitude that was badly needed during past conflicts. While we may not all agree on the reasoning behind this war, Vietnam or even World War II, the simple fact remains that war has more victims than body counts can represent.



The conflict in Irag is no exception: It has produced sharp lines of separation between friends, family, colleagues, the nation and the world community. Yet we can, and must, stand unified in our support for our troops.



In the past, many of us seemed to have forgotten that the military follows orders from the president, who in turn is granted war powers from Congress under the Constitution. Whether or not the reasons for armed conflict are clear, members of the U.S. military march into combat without hesitation. And many of them did not make it back to their families, friends and loved ones.



It is fine to remember them on monuments and plaques, to celebrate them in documentaries and movies, and to honor them on Memorial Day. Even so, this does not directly help the loved ones they left behind.



In addition to the profound emotional loss, families of servicemen and women lost in battle also suffer severe economic losses. The scholarship fund that Hannity and the Freedom Alliance have organized will directly aid those family members with a direct financial boost reflecting the love and respect that its donors demonstrate by their contributions.



On Memorial Day, and on every day afterwards, we will the friends we lost in war. Let?s also dig in and put our money where our hearts are.



Michael P. Canzoneri is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at dfwatch@hotmail.com.

Sempers,

Roger