In honor of Memorial Day, last Friday I began by describing the longest battle American forces faced in the the Hürtgen Forest during World War II. I wrote how my father, Private James Lichtman, survived an 88mm German canon attack, and a minefield as he crawled to an aid station to receive medical attention for his frozen feet. This is...

In chronicling one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, historian Charles Whiting writes, “Thirty thousand American G.I.’s were killed or wounded in the longest battle ever fought by the US Army—a battle that has been ignored for more than fifty years, a battle that should never have been fought.” My father, Private James Lichtman, was one of the...

“I’m suggesting, Mr. President, that there’s a military plot to take over the government.” —Seven Days in May “People have got to understand the danger of President Trump and the danger that he posed on that day.” —Wyoming Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney Embed from Getty Images After the Cuban Missile Crisis, where America came within inches of a nuclear war...

That’s what Harry Truman said of Gen. George C. Marshall–a characterization that easily applies to Gen. Colin L. Powell. You won’t find a picture of Colin Powell next to Leadership in the dictionary, but you should. You also won’t find him alongside Merriam-Webster’s definition of a Statesman, but no one can deny that Powell was “a wise, skillful, and respected...

“If it’s naïve to want peace instead of war, let ‘em make sure they say, I’m naïve. Because I want peace instead of war.” — Benjamin Ferencz Right now, I can’t think of a more important time in the country and the world where we need heroes , ethical heroes, men and women of principle. Ben Ferencz is one of...

Last Friday, Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony. “I’m incredibly proud,” President Biden said, “to give Col. Ralph Puckett’s act of valor the full recognition that he always deserved. Colonel, I’m humbled to have you here today.” The White House statement reads, in part: “Then-First Lieutenant Ralph Puckett, Jr. distinguished himself...

With the lack of courage and duty in Washington, it’s more important than ever to take a moment to remember some of the heroes who acted above and beyond 79 years ago, today. As memorialized by the History Channel, here are four stories that show what courage and duty look like. “Missouri-born Samuel Fuqua had a front row seat to...

Note: I will return Friday. On May 30, 1868 Ohio Senator James A. Garfield gave the first address to a crowd of more than 5,000 at Arlington National Cemetery. The event, known then as Decoration Day, was organized to honor those who died during the Civil War. However, five years before Garfield’s address another political figure stood to deliver a...

He is an angry, arrogant, bigoted, unprincipled narcissist who was elected to the U.S. presidency by the slimmest of margins. He is the most illiterate, contradictory, and inarticulate individual who has ever held the highest office in the land. According to the watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), he has more than 3,000 conflicts of interest....

Captain Brett Crozier, the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt who was reprimanded and removed from his command as a result of a letter he sent to Navy officials in Washington imploring their support in removing sailors from his ship due to an outbreak of coronavirus on board, appears to be on track to be reinstated to his command…...