Independence Day should hold a special place in the hearts of all U.S. citizens. This special show features four guests sharing their perspective on freedom and liberty.

British born actor Matthew Marsden met a young Army Ranger at Fort Benning while filming the movie Blackhawk Down. The experience changed his life.  He shares how the US mindset is different even from our closest “cousins” in England. “There’s nowhere else to go Ben. America is the last place, the last bastion of freedom on the planet.”

Col. Lee Ellis has a special perspective on freedom – he had his taken away while a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five and a half years. “People have come to take freedom for granted and that’s a good thing but it’s not so good to take that for granted.” As a POW Lee most missed the simple things like not being able view the night sky and the fact that he had very few choices in his daily life. He hated the daily propaganda the most.

Actor and philanthropist Gary Sinise shares a powerful example of the palpable difference between freedom and tyranny; his experience on the DMZ between South and North Korea. “We should value those freedom providers each and every day. Realize that they will be called upon to do something dangerous and we’re lucky we have people willing to put the uniform on and defend us.”

Paul Loeffler, host of the Hometown Heroes Radio Show has learned a lot from interviewing over 1,000 Veterans.  His “day job” as a sportscaster takes him all across the country and he tries to schedule an interview in all the communities he visits. “The only way for us to understand the price of freedom is to hear the stories of those who sacrificed so much to preserve it for the rest of us.”

Thank you for spending some of your Independence Day weekend with us.