My father spent nearly three years fighting in the Pacific, earning two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star, and two battlefield commissions. He declined a Purple Heart for fear of alarming my mother. Dad, like all combat veterans I have met from old World War I heroes—all moved on, now—to the shamefully abused Vietnam Vets, to the young wounded soldiers I have spoken with at airports as they limped home from Iraq and Afghanistan, refused to think of himself as having done anything special. But he and they did. And we are all the beneficiaries.
Lincoln understood. This is for you, Dad:
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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