"Veterans Day is a day meant to honor America's debt to its past servicemen who defended their country and its freedom. It should also be a day to pledge to current soldiers that they will not be asked to sacrifice their lives and the values for empty causes," says Edwin A. Locke, a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI).
     "It is often said that our soldiers must sacrifice themselves for our country. This is precisely what we must not ask them to do," explains Locke. "If a man risks his life on the premise, 'I would rather die than live in slavery,' his death would be a tragic loss -- but it is not a sacrifice. Such a man is acting in his own interests, to protect his most precious values."
     Locke argues that politically motivated "humanitarian" missions, such as those to Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia, are sacrifices because they force American soldiers to risk their lives for nothing.
     "The best way we can honor our veterans and give real meaning to Veterans Day -- aside from ceremonies honoring their past and present dedication and bravery -- is to promise that we will go to war only when America's interest as a free nation is threatened," says Locke. "Then, instead of saying 'My country right or wrong,' every American could proudly declare, 'My country because it stands for the right.'"