WASHINGTON (March 23, 2016) —While extending his condolences and support to the people of Belgium, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States also called yesterday’s terrorist attack another wakeup call to an America that remains ill prepared to defend against similar attacks.
"The VFW stands with our ally as they mourn and recover from this vicious and cowardly attack, an attack that once again clearly demonstrates that radical Islamic extremists are hell-bent on destroying us and our entire way of life," said VFW National Commander John A. Biedrzycki Jr.
"Belgium had been on the highest state of alert since last fall’s attack on Paris, yet combating an enemy who enjoys the great tactical advantage of choosing time and place just proves how vulnerable we all are," he said.
"America is vulnerable because we have porous borders, a broken immigration system, and elected and appointed officials who refuse to recognize this enemy as a threat to our national security," he said. "America is also weakened by a Congress that still refuses to eliminate sequestration, which takes a meat cleaver to the budgets of national defense, intelligence and homeland security."
Biedrzycki said America has been caught sleeping twice, on Dec. 7, 1941, and on Sept. 11, 2001.
"There must not be a third time," he said, "and that's why the VFW will do what we must to force Washington to wake up and destroy this enemy before they strike our homeland. There is no higher nor more immediate national priority!"