I don't know if Veteran's Day falls near the Marine Corps Birthday by coincidence or not, but my personal attention that's paid to our men overseas is magnified on this particular weekend.

There ought to be no anti-war or pro-war sentiment during this special weekend. Young men with warrior's hearts have made and kept great civilizations free for thousands of years, and it all boils down to one common, innate quality: these men are heroes simply for doing their duty.

In 480 bc, the Great King Xerxes led the Persian invasion into Greece. Joining the fight to defend their common homeland, the Spartans held their ground at Thermopylae to slow down over 100,000 Persian troops. While the Athenians prepared for the pending naval battle at Salamis (which would eventually be the deciding battle in the Greco-Persian Wars), the Spartans were tasked with holding their ground against Xerxes' fierce troops. There was one major problem with this. There were roughly 300 Spartans, and several hundred other Greeks, present at the "Hot Gates" to complete the task.

The Spartans led the defense and held off the Persians for over two days before being attacked from both sides of the narrow pass (after a traitor informed the Persians of a path which would allow them to attack from the rear). Eventually, every last Greek was killed, and their King's body was mutilated by the Persians. These men knew they were going to die, but they groomed themselves for battle and stood their ground for one reason: Duty.

To this day, there is a monument with an epitaph to these remarkable Spartans that translates as:

Go tell them in Sparta
That here we lie, obedient to their laws

The Spartans would never forget the stand made at the Hot Gates, and Americans, regardless of their opinion about the war in Iraq or war in general, should never undermine the efforts of our warriors overseas.

God bless all of America's Veterans. And, on a personal note to the Marines of Alpha Company, 1/7:

Semper Fidelis, my friends. Remember, fortune favors the brave.