Pay Any Price, Bear Any Burden

“Pay any price, bear any burden”

A nightmare scenario is now occurring in Ukraine. Russian forces are attacking Ukraine from the north, south, and east. Russian tanks are on the streets of Ukrainian cities and Russian jets are streaking across the skies. Fierce fighting is now engulfing Kyiv.

How can this be occurring? Isn’t Europe supposed to be past this? The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union collapsed two years later. Democracy seemed to be the cornerstone of what President Bush called a “new world order.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not get the message about a democratic world order. His brutal and unprovoked assault on Ukraine is an attempt to turn back time and redraw the map of Europe. In the short run, Putin wants to topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government and replace it with a puppet regime allied with Russia.

Putin’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine. His real target is the United States. Putin hates America and everything our country stands for. The invasion of Ukraine is really an attempt to undermine American credibility.

Putin’s assault on the Free World must not go unanswered. President Kennedy understood America’s responsibility as the leader of the Free World. In his Inaugural Address, JFK pledged to “pay any price, bear any burden, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.” Americans must remember JFK’s words and unite to confront evil and defend freedom.

Larry Krieger

Author · Instructor

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Larry Krieger taught a variety of AP subjects including Art History, U. S. History, European History, and American Government. Mr. Krieger has published popular books that have enabled students across the country to be confident in their abilities when facing AP and SAT exams.