Newt Gingrich: On Memorial Day, we have a duty to honor Americans who died defending our country

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PROGRAMMING ALERT: On Sunday, May 24 at 10 p.m. ET and on Monday, May 25 at 1 a.m. ET, the Fox News Channel will air «Modern Warriors: A Memorial Day Special.»  Join host Pete Hegseth and fellow veterans Johnny Joey Jones, Dan Rooney, Nate Boyer, and Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia as they recount personal stories of service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. The director’s cut version of the show will be available on Fox Nation following the broadcast.

On Memorial Day on Monday, it is our duty as Americans to honor and mourn the military service members who died while serving this great country.

Of course, Memorial Day is solemn. But it is also an opportunity to reflect on, appreciate, and be thankful for the freedom that we enjoy every day in the United States of America. We honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice by prospering, enjoying our liberty, and preserving the American way of life.

With Memorial Day coming up, I decided to have on this week’s episode of my podcast “Newt’s World” a true patriot, Pete Hegseth.

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Now a co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend” and a frequent contributor on Fox News and Fox Business, Pete served in the U.S. Army for 12 years. He did tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, earning two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge. We discuss Pete’s time in the military, what he learned, and how his remarkable experiences in uniform shaped his worldview.

Pete also has a new book out titled, “American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free.”

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In the book, Pete explores whether the election of President Trump is a sign of a “national rebirth” or the “final act” of a country that has surrendered to leftists and political correctness. Can real America still win? And how?

We examine these questions and how we need to be able to fight – both on and off the battlefield – for what we have here in America. And we also need to teach the next generation, so we don’t lose what makes America exceptional.

Part of this exceptionalism must include taking care of our veterans, and few people have done more than Pete toward that end. He is the former executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, which turns veterans’ hopes, concerns, and experiences into practical advocacy for policies that preserve freedom and prosperity.

Tragically, the Department of Veterans Affairs has too often failed in recent years to provide our veterans with the care they deserve. And that care should include access to private networks if the government fails them.

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Pete has also been traveling around the country, talking to Americans from all walks of life and revealing their common wisdom. In these experiences we can see the true strength of America: Its people, who are ready to do their part to save our republic.

Indeed, they understand that our freedoms – laid out in principle in the Declaration of Independence and in practice in the Constitution – are sacred, unique in history, and worth fighting for.

On Memorial Day, we must remember why Americans fight for our country and are willing to die for it.

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I hope you will listen to this week’s episode as we prepare for Memorial Day. Our fight to stay free is of paramount importance. Remembering why Americans made the ultimate sacrifice – to protect our freedom and preserve the American way of life – is critical to winning that fight.

I also hope you will listen to my next episode, scheduled to air Wednesday, on a series of harrowing earthquakes in “The Ring of Fire” that we really cannot ignore.

To read, hear, and watch more of Newt Gingrich’s commentary, visit Gingrich360.com.