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Thomas Drago Dzieran, my friend, had a challenging upbringing in Communist Poland. He, along with his mother and siblings, endured a life filled with hunger, cold, and fear under an oppressive and authoritarian regime.
As he matured, he rebelled against this oppressive way of life and was eventually imprisoned for speaking out against socialist oppression and questioning the treatment of himself and his fellow Poles.
However, he was fortunate compared to many others — he “only” went to prison. He did not suffer the fate of being murdered and buried in an unmarked grave like countless others.
Drago also had the fortune of eventually escaping from Poland. Through his work with the American embassy, he immigrated to the United States, served in the Navy, and became a fellow SEAL.
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I had the privilege of serving alongside Drago and witnessing his unwavering dedication to our American values.
During the early stages of the war, he, more than anyone else, understood the true value of freedom. He knew this because he had experienced life without freedom for the first half of his life.
Former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink (right) reenlisting Drago Dzieran (left) onboard the USS John F. Kennedy in 1999 during their time together serving on SEAL teams. (Court)
But as time went on, all of us who served came to truly understand the value of our freedom because we witnessed the high cost paid for it.
We saw our brave military personnel being wounded or killed by rockets, machine guns, and roadside bombs.
The price of freedom is the blood of our nation’s bravest men and women.
We saw the impact it had on them and their families.
We witnessed firsthand the fact that freedom does not come without a cost.
The true price of freedom is the bloodshed of our nation’s bravest individuals.
Let us not forget this on the Fourth of July.
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They sacrificed their lives for our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
They sacrificed for our nation. For our flag.
It can be easy to overlook the cost of freedom.
Easy to waste away our opportunities as Americans.
Easy to focus on our past and present mistakes as a country.
Easy to highlight our differences rather than our similarities.
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Yet, these behaviors are an insult to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Instead, let us find common ground with our fellow Americans.
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Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
