This is sobering

I was reading today's Washington Post, and an article on the first page of the Metro section caught my attention. Its about the posthumous conferral of citizenship on a U.S. Marine killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Forget about the politics for a minute and think about what this article says about our country and those that live and serve here. Here was a Vietnam native, educated in the U.S. who gave his life in the service of a country in which he was not a citizen. The article points out that "[a]bout 7,000 active-duty Marines are not U.S. citizens. Since the start of combat operations in Iraq, 53 other members of the military have been granted citizenship posthumously."

I think it says something important that that many non-citizens are willing to serve (and die) for our country without being citizens. As citizens, its far to easy to take our country for granted or to lose sight of our ideals. These non-citizens provide an example and a reminder that our freedoms have come at a price, and that we shouldn't take them for granted. I salute ALL the men and women serving in the defense of our country, but especially those who can't fully call it their own country.