Our young men and women in uniform are some of the best of America, the cream of our national crop—taking freedom to people the world over. To paraphrase the words at the base of the Statue of Liberty: Part of America’s military mission is to rescue “your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.”

In his State of the Union Address this year, President Bush said, “The liberty we prize is not America’s gift to the world; it is God’s gift to humanity”—right. And this Independence Day let’s be grateful for our own freedom, and let’s especially pray for the safety of our soldiers as they fight for the freedom of others.