{"id":10559,"date":"2019-07-19T17:32:29","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T17:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=10559"},"modified":"2019-07-19T17:32:29","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T17:32:29","slug":"wwii-veteran-ignorance-indifference-greatest-threats-to-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=10559","title":{"rendered":"WWII Veteran: Ignorance, Indifference Greatest Threats to America"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Robert M. Pennoyer, now and at age 19, on the U.S.S. Pensacola at Iwo Jima in 1944. Courtesy: Robert M. Pennoyer<\/p><\/div>\n

by Mary Schuermann Kuhlman<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

NEW YORK \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Seventy-four years after he saw the flag raised on Iwo Jima, a World War II veteran has an Independence Day message for America: The fight for liberty goes on, and today\u2019s enemies are ignorance and indifference to justice.<\/p>\n

Ninety-four-year-old Bob Pennoyer saw the American flag raised on Iwo Jima. He describes that moment as embodying the spirit of liberty, as people from different faiths, races and nationalities fought and bled together to defeat tyranny.<\/p>\n

From the success of the civil-rights movement to the fight for women\u2019s reproductive rights and today\u2019s Parkland students speaking out against gun violence, Pennoyer says he sees the fight for liberty continue.<\/p>\n

And, he adds, it takes work to preserve our democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica is an example to the nations of the world, but we\u2019re not perfect, and we have to acknowledge we\u2019re not perfect,\u201d says Pennoyer. \u201cWe can do better and we must do better, and the most important thing is to be active by voting and electing people who want to bring the country and the community together and serve the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

This Independence Day, Pennoyer is calling on Americans\u2019 courage to fight today for the core values for which so many have given their lives \u2013 equality, freedom and self-government.<\/p>\n

He believes now is a good time to put aside politics and remember the values that unite us.<\/p>\n

And what are they, some might ask? The private sector has been vital to creating the country\u2019s wealth, but Pennoyer says equal opportunities are needed for people from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need the government to ensure a level playing field so the power that\u2019s accumulated by big corporations doesn\u2019t obliterate the right of small business to survive and thrive in our nation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He sees another key factor in protecting our freedoms as ensuring that our country works toward peace and avoids unnecessary conflicts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I personally felt that the Iraq war was one of the worst blunders in history, the people who served in that war were willing to risk their lives for the nation,\u201d he adds. \u201cAnd they deserve our highest respect and should be honored and helped when they come back to civilian life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennoyer\u2019s generation is often referred to as \u201cthe greatest,\u201d but he believes every generation has the qualities that will save and serve liberty.<\/p>\n

Using a reminder of the WWII America sacrifices on D Day in France, and a historic line from the \u201cBattle Hymn of the Republic\u201d to illustrate the fight against the enemies of freedom, Pennoyer hopes his call to action helps inspire generations of today to do their part.<\/p>\n

As he puts it, \u201cI\u2019m filled with hope knowing that, long after I am gone, the people who hear this message, imbued with the millions like them, imbued with the spirit of liberty, building on the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives on a beach at Normandy, will strive to save democracy and freedom as they \u2018trample out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.’\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Mary Schuermann Kuhlman NEW YORK \u2013\u00a0Seventy-four years after he saw the flag raised on Iwo Jima, a World War II veteran has an Independence Day message for America: The fight for liberty goes on, and today\u2019s enemies are ignorance and indifference to justice. Ninety-four-year-old Bob Pennoyer saw the American flag raised on Iwo Jima. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10559"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10561,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10559\/revisions\/10561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}