I'm a strong supporter of the United States military -- and by extension all volunteer military organizations around the world. I think that the men and women who volunteer to place their lives at risk to defend their countries and citizens are among that country's best and bravest.

Some of those men and women go above and beyond the duty they volunteered for, performing acts of such incredible bravery, heroism and self-sacrifice that they must be honored in some special way. In the United States, that award is the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The stories of Medal of Honor recipients are incredible. Men who throw their bodies onto grenades to save their comrades when they could have saved their own lives. Men who crossed the beaches of Normandy to relative safety and cover and then went back to lead others through the hail of gunfire -- over and over again.

One of the stories I've always used explain the type of bravery that earns this highest honor is of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He flew an unarmed supply helicopter.

During a heavy firefight, the infantry commander on the ground, whose men were under intense attack and low on supplies, closed the landing zone because it was too dangerous. Understand this: the guy on the ground who was being shot at and needed supplies and evacuation of his wounded men said: "Don't land, don't try to help us, it's too dangerous for you."

The medical evacuation helicopters refused to enter the area due to intense enemy fire.

The pilot of this unarmed supply helicopter went in anyway to land supplies and evacuate wounded. Then he went back ... fourteen times.

That pilot was Captain Ed W. Freeman and I'm saddened because he passed away August 20th. http://www.cmohs.org/recipients/recent_dep_cit.htm

You may not approve of whatever conflict your country is involved in -- you may object to the concept of war in general, but there are wolves out there in the dark and these men and women are willing to put themselves between those wolves and your door.

For that willingness, they deserve your respect and their deeds deserve your remembrance.