250 years of freedom bought with the lives of heroes

Aaron Withe
May 25, 2026

A little more than five weeks from now, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence. But first we pause to honor the countless thousands who made the milestone possible but won’t be there to share it with us.

This Memorial Day, even more than most, the debt owed by those who bask in — and too often take for granted — the sunshine of freedom purchased with the lives of servicemen and -women seems especially colossal.

Long before 1776, in fact, American patriots were fighting and dying at the hands of those with selfish motives for fearing the sort of nation they hoped to one day carve out of the wilderness that challenged them.

In many cases their sacrifices were just as magnificent, but it is the oblations of those who fell in military service we humbly esteem with a yearly tribute.

Everyone who dons a uniform and pledges their service to these United States understands they are potentially putting themselves in harm’s way on behalf of fellow countrymen who often ignore — and occasionally resent — the awesome responsibilities they assume. Irrespective of their training or occupational specialty, each is reminded from their first day in uniform until their last that they are warriors first and foremost, and laying down their life for comrades and country may one day be their solemn duty.

A heartbreaking number have fulfilled that destiny.

What we are as individuals and as a nation could never have been attained without them, and the edifice they consecrated with their very souls stands as an eternal monument to their majestic sacrifice.

May God bless those who have already been lost in our two and a half centuries of liberty, and may He continue to extend His protection to those who stand between us and the oppressors they confront even today.

- National

Aaron Withe

Chief Executive Officer

Aaron Withe is the Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom Foundation. Aaron began his career at the Freedom Foundation in 2015, working in the outreach department. He devised a full-scale outreach campaign that included having a team of door-to-door canvassers contact all union members throughout Oregon and inform them of their rights to leave their union. After various promotions the Freedom Foundation’s Board of Directors appointed Aaron as the CEO in 2021. As an immigrant-turned-U.S. citizen, Aaron recognizes America as the freest and most prosperous country in the world. However, he also recognizes the very real threat posed by the government unions attacking the foundations of the American dream. This is what fuels Aaron as he now leads the Freedom Foundation’s national campaign to free every public employee in America from union bondage. Aaron is the author of the book Freedom is the Foundation: How we are defeating progressive tyranny by taking on the government unions. Aaron has been a featured speaker for the Freedom Foundation at a multitude of events, including the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2019. He was the proud recipient of the Oregon Taxpayer Association’s 2019 Thomas Jefferson Award. He was formerly on the Washington & Oregon Advisory Committees to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. And he is a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s (AEI) Leadership Network. Aaron has often shared the Freedom Foundation’s message on TV, including appearances on Fox News, Fox Business, One America News, Newsmax, and The Huckabee Show on TBN. He has been featured on several national and local radio shows, including Sean Hannity and Lars Larson, and in print media outlets across the country, including the Wall Street Journal, the Hill, and the Daily Wire. He is a native of Birmingham, England, and is a graduate and former basketball player at Corban University in Oregon. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife Aubree and their daughter Amelia, as well as with their extended family and friends. He is active of his church and enjoys relaxing at several Pacific North West’s microbreweries. As an immigrant-turned-U.S. citizen, Aaron recognizes America as the freest and most prosperous country in the world. However, he also recognizes the very real threat posed by the government unions attacking the foundations of the American dream. This is what fuels Aaron as he now leads the Freedom Foundation’s national campaign to free every public employee in America from union bondage. Aaron has been a featured speaker for the Freedom Foundation at a multitude of events, including the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2019. He was the proud recipient of the Oregon Taxpayer Association’s 2019 Thomas Jefferson Award. He was formerly on the Washington & Oregon Advisory Committees to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. And he is a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s (AEI) Leadership Network. Aaron has often shared the Freedom Foundation’s message on TV, including appearances Fox News, One America News, Newsmax, and The Huckabee Show on TBN. He has been featured on several national and local radio shows including Sean Hannity and Lars Larson and in print media outlets across the country including the Wall Street Journal and Daily Wire. He is a native of Birmingham, England, and is a graduate and former basketball player at Corban University in Oregon. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, staying active in many different sports and at the gym, he is active in his church and enjoys relaxing at several of the Pacific North West’s microbreweries.