One for Freedom

ON the night of February 9, more than a thousand people gathered in tuxes and dresses at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to pay tribute to Medal of Honor recipients. Forty-three of the 107 living medalists were in attendance, along with assorted dignitaries. The program began when John Ondrasik, a one-man act who goes by the improbable stage name of “Five for Fighting,” sat before a piano and sang about war and patriotism. When he was done, Ondrasik briefly addressed the crowd. “That song, ‘Freedom Never Cries,’ hopefully demonstrates the theme for this evening, which is that freedom isn’t free. But I don’t need to tell you that.”

No, he didn’t. Not to that crowd of heroes and their admirers. But in recent years, Ondrasik has conveyed this message to a broader public that surely can benefit from hearing it. Whereas many celebrities attack the president and bash the war with a relentless and numbing predictability, Ondrasik, the author of hits such as “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” and “100 Years,” stands apart as a popular artist who supports the troops and their cause through his music and actions. And he is without a doubt the only rock star ever to write a song inspired by a lunch with NATIONAL REVIEW contributor Victor Davis Hanson.

About the Author

John J. Miller

John J. Miller, a former national correspondent for National Review, is the director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. He is the author of A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America.

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ON the night of February 9, more than a thousand people gathered in tuxes and dresses at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to pay tribute to Medal of Honor recipients. Forty-three of the 107 living medalists were in attendance, along with assorted dignitaries. The program began when John Ondrasik, a one-man act who goes by the improbable stage name of “Five for Fighting,” sat before a piano and sang about war and patriotism. When he was done, Ondrasik briefly addressed the crowd. “That song, ‘Freedom Never Cries,’ hopefully demonstrates the theme for this evening, which is that freedom isn’t free. But I don’t need to tell you that.”

No, he didn’t. Not to that crowd of heroes and their admirers. But in recent years, Ondrasik has conveyed this message to a broader public that surely can benefit from hearing it. Whereas many celebrities attack the president and bash the war with a relentless and numbing predictability, Ondrasik, the author of hits such as “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” and “100 Years,” stands apart as a popular artist who supports the troops and their cause through his music and actions. And he is without a doubt the only rock star ever to write a song inspired by a lunch with NATIONAL REVIEW contributor Victor Davis Hanson.

About the Author

John J. Miller

John J. Miller, a former national correspondent for National Review, is the director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. He is the author of A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America.