When Fox News first appeared, America was introduced to Sean Hannity as the conservative voice on “Hannity & Colmes.” Since then, Colmes has been jettisoned, but the nightly show rolls on (renamed of course), and Hannity also hosts one of the most successful radio talk shows in America. Yet I do not think I go too far in saying that all these successes pale in comparison to the reputation Hannity has built for himself as “a Great American” and as huge supporter of America’s men and women.
Daniels and Hannity high five during 2009 Freedom Concert
Whether on television or the radio, Hannity frequently calls attention to our troops. And through his summers of “Freedom Concerts,” which he began in 2003, he has raised over $10 million for Oliver North’s Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund: a fund “designated for the education of children of U.S. service members who have been killed or 100% permanently disabled in an operational mission or training accident.” These concerts feature performances by Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Charlie Daniels’ Band, solo artists like Lee Greenwood and Michael W. Smith, and political commentators like Mark Levin and Oliver North, among others.
In a word, they are top-notch events aimed at one thing: raising money and awareness for our troops.
Country music legend Charlie Daniels has been so impressed with Hannity’s work for the troops that he recently wrote a “Personal Tribute to Sean Hannity,” wherein he told the world: “Each week Sean does five three-hour radio shows and five one-hour television shows, each one requiring research and preparation, not to mention the numerous speeches and other public appearances he makes. Yet [even] with…this hectic schedule, Sean Hannity devotes his summer family vacation time to do the…coast to coast…Freedom Concert Tour.”
Perhaps the most poignant line of Daniels’s tribute was his assertion that Hannity “realizes that without our military there would be no America.” In other words, Hannity understands that freedom isn’t free, so he lives his life in such a way as to say thanks to those who have (and do) pay the price to keep us free.
Because of these things, Daniels refers to Hannity as “a straight ahead patriot” whom “troops and their families love.”
That Hannity has honored the troops to the point that they honor him with their affection in return is very telling. It seems to prove what millions have suspected for years now: that when Hannity supports the troops he speaks from his heart, not from a teleprompter.
Thank you Sean Hannity for being “a Great American,” and for reminding us again and again that our freedom is purchased anew every day on battlefields around the world.
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