Letter: The courage we still need

As an 88-year-old citizen who has watched this nation endure wars, social upheaval, and moments of both shame and triumph, I find myself deeply troubled by what I see today. Our country was built on the sacrifices of men and women who risked their lives to defend its ideals — freedom, justice, truth, and unity. Many gave everything to protect what we so easily take for granted.

In these anxious times, I find myself wrestling with how to view those in leadership, especially when fear replaces trust and when partisan loyalty seems to silence moral courage. While no leader is perfect, history judges not only their accomplishments but also how faithfully they protect the institutions and values that safeguard our democracy.

I’ve sought to remember that, in every age, there have been voices of courage — even within difficult, divided times. Republicans like Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Chase Smith, Theodore Roosevelt, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger chose to stand for principle over popularity, for truth over party loyalty, and for the Constitution over personal ambition. They remind us that integrity is not a partisan quality, but a human one.

We, the people, deserve leaders who cherish this country enough to risk their positions, their reputations, and their comfort to defend its founding principles. The silence from those who know better — who know the danger of lies and authoritarian behavior — is as harmful as the actions themselves.

I write this not out of bitterness, but out of hope that courage still lives among us, and that we, as citizens, will refuse to let fear or division destroy what so many have died to protect.

Mary Lee Hillenbrand
Ferdinand