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The most powerful gift you can give a soldier

November 30, 2012
Wilson

Writer

Glenn interviewed Rose Tennent of Quinn and Rose fame about her book titled Thanking Our Soldiers, a compilation of letters from her radio listeners of inspirational stories that demonstrate some of the best ways we can thank our men and women who serve in the military.

Transcript of interview below:
GLENN: We have Rose Tennent on here with us. She is from Quinn and Rose mornings here in Pittsburgh and you guys, I just did an interview with you guys a few minutes ago and do a lot of interviews with a lot of radio people, as you can imagine, and you guys are two of the best morning people on the air in the country. You get it like nobody else gets it. You are really great.

TENNENT: What a compliment coming from you because we really have tremendous respect for you and what you're doing.

GLENN: Thank you very much. You wrote the book Thanking Our Soldiers: Random Acts of Gratitude and Generosity Towards Members of the Military and I wanted to talk to you about it because I don't think I've ever seen anything like this. This is just, these are letters sent to you saying this is what I did.

TENNENT: Right. I started a segment on this show and you know how things like that can just snowball, right?

GLENN: Right.

TENNENT: And I was talking, and I never talk about things that I do, if I gave to someone or ‑‑ I like to do that in private.

GLENN: Private.

TENNENT: But there was a particular story that I had to share with the audience because I thought it was humorous but at one time I was at one of my favorite restaurants and I saw two or three service guys being led to the back room and I thought, you know what, I'm going to pay for their lunch. I've done it before. So I told their waitress that. And she kept coming back to my table and asking me, are you sure you want to do this, are you positive. And I didn't understand why she kept asking that question and I assured her, "Yes, just give me the check when they're done." Well, it turns out that those two or three guys were being led back to a group of 15 other servicemen and women that I didn't know about. So it was a pretty hefty tab. So I just, I told the story simply because I thought it was amusing. But once I told that story, I started to receiving e‑mails and letters from our listeners telling me what they've done to thank a soldier and it became a regular part of the show, or segment.

GLENN: Give me the more unusual. What's the most common and what's the most unusual?

TENNENT: The most common is picking up a tab.

GLENN: Right.

TENNENT: And the most unusual, I thought this was very clever. A woman would drive the same route to work every day. And she actually worked in her own community. So at one point she noticed that at the four‑way intersection a home right there at the intersection had a large sign that said, "Welcome back from Afghanistan." And she thought, "You know what? I don't know those people but they're in my community. So she wrote a thank you note to them and she put in a little gift to them. But you don't even need to do that. She said, "Thank you for your service. You don't know me but you are taking ‑‑ you are protecting my freedoms. You are preserving my freedoms. You are making a sacrifice for me and my family. So you need to know about me."

GLENN: You weren't connected with people who are grateful for, as we are, grateful for our military. What has been the reaction here in Pittsburgh with people on Benghazi, that we let four guys die?

TENNENT: It's astounding, isn't it? I mean, this is ‑‑ that's why I love this book because while our government doesn't seem to have the back of those who serve and protect us, we need to make sure we have their back. But I've got to tell you something about Benghazi. I was having my hair done and I asked the girl that was washing my hair, what do you think about Benghazi? She goes, "I don't know who he is."

GLENN: Which reminds me, More‑On Trivia is coming up in about 25 minutes.

TENNENT: That's true.

GLENN: We had the More‑On Trivia, what was it, a couple of weeks ago where we talked about Benghazi?

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: And that was, somebody said somebody at Wal‑Mart.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: That's who Benghazi is, somebody at Wal‑Mart.

TENNENT: Oh, no.

GLENN: And they didn't know, they didn't know who he was as well.

TENNENT: Wow, that's amazing.

GLENN: It's ‑‑ since the election ‑‑ first of all, were you as shocked as we were that the election was going to ‑‑

TENNENT: Absolutely. I did not expect that at all. I didn't think it was going to be a landslide. Some were predicting a landslide.

GLENN: I was.

TENNENT: I never believed that. But I didn't think that Obama was going to win a second term.

GLENN: And were you shocked that less people went out and voted this time on our side?

TENNENT: No.

GLENN: Really?

TENNENT: I wasn't. I talked about that a lot. No, I think that there was ‑‑ I think that people were ‑‑ if you looked around Pittsburgh, the signs were, "Fire Obama." They weren't "Hire Romney." You know, and I think the enthusiasm level was way down. I don't think that we had a strong enough candidate and I don't think he was able to bring us through.

GLENN: Is it because he wasn't liberal enough? He wasn't liberal enough? Is that why? Because that's what the GOP will have us believe now.

TENNENT: They keep telling, keep moving a little more to the left, keep going to the ‑‑ keep moving. We'll tell you when to stop and it's just a bunch of baloney.

GLENN: So what do you think people are actually saying? Do you think people ‑‑ A, do you think people have given up? Because quite honestly I am the ‑‑ I am the, "Let's go, keep go, let's going." I'm that guy.

TENNENT: I know. You're a cheerleader.

GLENN: Even I'm like, "What difference does it make."

TENNENT: I know. It's so hard to fight that, but you know what? We're Americans. That's what we do. We fight for liberty. Even if I go down fighting, I'm going to fight. I don't care what it takes, I'm not going to run away. I'm going to stand firm.

GLENN: But here's what it is. I have every intention. I'm not going to sleep, and I will, with my dying breath.

TENNENT: Yeah.

GLENN: The Constitution now and forever.

TENNENT: Amen.

GLENN: With my dying breath.

TENNENT: Amen.

GLENN: So I got that. But it's like now you're saying, "Hey, let's get all together and let's write our congressmen." Who was it, Rand Paul was on yesterday, right?

PAT: Yep.

GLENN: And he said, "You've got a right, congressman Boehner." And we looked, we got off the air and we looked at each other and we went, are you going to do that, Pat? Nope. Me, either. I was just like, it's not going to make a difference.

TENNENT: Right?

GLENN: These clowns, why do it?

TENNENT: Why?

GLENN: Do you think Boehner's going to change?

TENNENT: No.

GLENN: No.

PAT: He's not. But Rand's, Senator Paul's point was that if a million people did that, then ‑‑ but a million people were saying, "Are you going to do that?" "No."

GLENN: (Laughing.)

PAT: It's unfortunate but especially after ‑‑

GLENN: Because we don't believe in them anymore.

TENNENT: No, we don't.

GLENN: The Republicans are the Whigs.

TENNENT: When you look at the numbers, especially ‑‑ well, I'm thinking back to the midterm elections, that historic election. But there were so many people that felt that congress just did not represent them, that they did not have ‑‑ they said ‑‑ I remember reading the polls, that the TEA Party members had a better grasp on what was important for this country and what was needed for this country to move forward than those serving in congress right now. And they are absolutely, they were right. And it remains true to this day. They really don't ‑‑ they haven't got a clue.

GLENN: What do you think's going to happen ‑‑ go ahead.

TENNENT: Go ahead.

GLENN: What do you think's going to happen with the fiscal cliff?

TENNENT: I keep telling them walk away from the cliff, walk away from the cliff. Really. This is propaganda, this is a big event, this is fabulous for Obama, he's created it. You know, it's a big story. It's the big event. And I just, I want congress to move away from it. I don't want them to give in to this. Because it's been sensationalized. It's overdone. Walk away from the cliff.

GLENN: It's really, and it's amazing to me how the Republicans are always in a lose/lose situation. The left ‑‑

TENNENT: They are.

GLENN: ‑‑ is extraordinarily ‑‑

TENNENT: Smart.

GLENN: ‑‑ brilliant.

TENNENT: Yes. Clever, manipulative.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh. Evil.

TENNENT: Evil.

GLENN: Yeah.

PAT: The problem is they're also about three steps ahead of the Republican Party.

TENNENT: They are.

PAT: All the time. And the Republicans are in a, like you said, Glenn, a lose/lose situation right now. If they do something about it ‑‑

GLENN: They lose.

PAT: ‑‑ they lose. If they don't do something about it ‑‑

GLENN: They lose.

PAT: ‑‑ they lose.

TENNENT: And they've set him up. We've been set up.

GLENN: Yes.

TENNENT: You know, you're absolutely right.

GLENN: Every step of the way.

TENNENT: Look at Marco Rubio. The Democrats and the mainstream media, they recognize our rising stars before we do.

PAT: Oh, yeah.

TENNENT: Marco Rubio is a star.

PAT: Yes.

TENNENT: And they know that. So what do they do? The first thing that GQ asks him is how old do you think the Earth is? What? Are you freaking kidding me, how old is the Earth?

PAT: I know.

TENNENT: And then what does Jeb Bush, Jr. do? He weighed in on it.

GLENN: Wait a minute, wait a minute. She avoided the answer. She wouldn't give the answer: How old is the Earth?

TENNENT: How dare you ask me such a question when we're talking about some serious matters. You know, I'm one of those Christians and I think that, you know ‑‑

GLENN: I think it's four years old.

TENNENT: Yeah. Uh‑huh. But then Jeb Bush, Jr. weighs in: That was kind of a weird answer to that question. I mean, they're already ‑‑

PAT: Oh, yeah. They're trying to set up Jeb Bush.

TENNENT: He hasn't ‑‑ Obama hasn't even been sworn in yet for a second term.

PAT: Yeah.

TENNENT: And already they're setting it up.

PAT: They're giving us another false choice.

TENNENT: They are. They are.

PAT: Between Biden or Hillary and whoever their nominee is and our farthest left‑leaning candidate. And it would ‑‑

TENNENT: You're right.

PAT: ‑‑ be Jeb Bush. Unacceptable.

TENNENT: Just such a thing.

GLENN: When we were in New York, I sat in very powerful meetings with the media and they ‑‑ the people in the media on the right, they were all for Jeb Bush. And I'm sitting there going, "Are you out of your mind?"

PAT: The worst.

GLENN: Jeb Bush?

PAT: No.

GLENN: Can we stop with the Bush trilogy? Stop.

PAT: Let's hope it doesn't become a trilogy.

GLENN: We've seen the first two. I don't want to buy a ticket for the other one.

PAT: No.

TENNENT: That's enough. You know, can I just tell you about this real quick?

GLENN: Yes. Yes, yes.

TENNENT: I just want to encourage people because even just saying thank you is a very, very strong act of kindness toward our military. One man in particular. Because there was a section also in the book about you how the ‑‑ those on the receiving end feel about receiving those acts of kindness and gratitude. And one man in particular was on a 15‑hour flight from Germany to Chicago coming back from some time that he spent in Bosnia and they had offered him an upgrade and he offered it to a family of six because he thought, when are those four kids ever going to have a chance to sit in first class. So for 15 hours he said he watched that family and the kids giggling and laughing and running around first class. He said that was a blessing to him. He didn't mind that at all. He said but God had another blessing for him. When he got off the plane in Chicago, this little girl, he watched as a little girl jumped off her seat, 5 years old he said, came running towards him and, of course, the mother's running behind her wondering what the heck is going on, ran up to him, curled her finger at him and so he got down on one knee, put his ear to her mouth and she said, "Thank you." Threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

GLENN: Wow. That happened in Chicago?

TENNENT: That happened in Chicago. He said that that was one of the best days of his life second only to the birth of his child. And then when he talked to the mom, she said that the grandfather who served in Vietnam had told this little girl, whenever you see a soldier, tell them thank you. He said that meant more to him than any other act or any other gift could possible mean.

PAT: What a phenomenal story.

TENNENT: Just those words, two words, "thank you." Unbelievable. So there's a lot in this book. It's very moving. But you know what it does? It gives you ideas and encourages you to give. And this is the season of giving, right? And we can never repay the debt. Never repay it. But we can start to make some payments.

GLENN: The name of the book is Thanking Our Soldiers: Random Acts of Kindness, Random Acts of Gratitude and Generosity Towards Members of the Military. I have told my kids since they were that small as well. Every time you see a soldier, you go up and thank them. And when my kids were smaller, they would. Now they're in that, you know, that awkward ‑‑

TENNENT: There's an awkward stage.

GLENN: That awkward stage where some of them are like, I'm not ‑‑ Dad, that's embarrassing. But it's true, and it makes a difference.

TENNENT: It does.

GLENN: And thank you so much.

TENNENT: Yeah, thank you so much for letting me talk about it.

GLENN: Available on Amazon.

TENNENT: Yes.

GLENN: You can just order it now, Thanking Our Soldiers by Rose Tennent. Thank you very much, Rose.

TENNENT: Thank you.

GLENN: God bless.

        Without civic action, America faces collapse
    

         JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images
    
Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.
I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.
Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.
We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.
Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.
Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.
Taking up the torch
The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.
Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.
Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.
We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.
Start small and local
In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.
How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.
Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.
   Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images
We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.
Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.
Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.
This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

        'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate
    

         PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images
    
Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.
I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.
Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.
Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.
Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:
Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.
Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.
Picking up his torch
Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.
It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.
He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.
We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.
Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.
The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.
Two turning points, decades apart
On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?
Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.
He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.
At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.
  Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images
Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.
A time for courage
I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.
Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.
This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

        Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family
    
Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.
Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America.  The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days. 
This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.
The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.
This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.
You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

        The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state
    

         Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images
    
When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.
Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.
In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.
That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.
This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.
This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.
From Muhammad to Marx
The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.
Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.
Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.
This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.
   John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images
Gifts from God, not the state
Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.
Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.
This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.