juan restrepo for re before they got around to honoring him for his heroism. i don't believe this would be happening if people in this country had a minimum unsing of true plic service. i wonder if any of them thought to give up their salary for aso year idarity for the millions of americans who lostbs their uring a recession. i wonder if any of them are prepared to make a pure sacrifice for this nation, yet in abundance among the citizens they serve, marty last year a lifelong new yorker named marty bauman died at age 86. mr. bauman contracted polio while in the army, attended college on the g.i. bill and went on to start a successful executive search firm in manhattan. when his company ran into financial trouble in the 1990's, he secretly gave up his salary so he wouldn't have e anyone that year.s his employly found out what he'd done because the company bookkeeper told them. people like mr. bauman are the true heroes of this country. this fourth of july, think about the people-- young and old, rich and poor, citizen and non- citizen-- who have made u sacrif

juan sebastian restrepo, who was born in colombia, emigrated to america as a child, and died fighting at the bottom of a hill in afghanistan. there was no running water at restrepo, no cooked food, no communication with the outside world and absolutely no privacy. mostly, therwas just a lot of con at. the plats in several hundred firefights that year, and everyone out there was almost killed. and yet watched perfectly ordinary people risk their lives to keep others safe. no one was more anportant than yone else and race, religion,po and litics had absolutely no importance at restpo. every fourth of july i think about men like private restrepo and what this country must mean to them. four percent of our military aren't even u.s.itizens. and yet they emigrate to our shores, put on a uniform and fight and die for us. what is it they are fighting fo what is it they are risking death for? for many, of course, it is economic opportunity. but that very economic opportunity is rooted in the idea of a just society where people are judged on their own merits rather than for the sound of tir las