Blessed Are the Peacemakers
By Dennis Powers
JACKSBORO, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF)- As we gather this year to honor Veterans Day, we are reminded of the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Those words take on special meaning when we consider the men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform. They have not sought conflict. They have answered the call to protect the peace we too often take for granted.
Our veterans have stood between freedom and tyranny across generations. From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of Afghanistan, they have paid a price so that others might live without fear. Their service has not only defended our own shores but has helped secure peace in corners of the world that would otherwise have known only oppression.
I think of my own family. My father and his two brothers, along with two of my mom’s brothers, all served in World War II. They left their homes in East Tennessee and answered their country’s call when the world was on fire. All that my father ever said about his service was its length: four years, four months, and thirteen days. Like so many from that Greatest Generation, they did not speak often of what they saw. They simply did their duty, came home, and built the communities we enjoy today. Their generation proved that ordinary Americans, when called, could become the peacemakers the world needed.
Today we face a different kind of struggle. Nuclear threats and the specter of terrorism remind us that peace is never permanent. It must be guarded. The nature of the enemy has changed, but the need for courage has not. Our service members continue to stand watch in places most Americans will never see, confronting dangers that few fully understand.
I was privileged to know General Carl Stiner, a son of East Tennessee who rose to command our nation’s special operations forces and led with distinction in operations that protected American lives and interests. Even after he left active duty, General Stiner continued to serve. He remained engaged in the work of safeguarding our country and mentoring those who followed him. I will never forget something he once told me. He said that if he told me everything he knew that was going on in the world, I would not be able to sleep at night.
That quiet warning from a man who had seen the worst the world can offer is a reminder of why we need peacemakers. The threats are real. They do not disappear because we choose not to think about them. They are held at bay by the men and women who remain willing to stand in the gap.
On this Veterans Day, we honor those who have served and those who serve still. We remember that peace is not the absence of danger, but the presence of those willing to confront it. Blessed are the peacemakers. May we never forget the cost of the peace they have secured for us.
Former Rep. Dennis Powers represented the 36th House District from 2010-2026 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-11/11/2026-6AM)
