Veteran: U.S. Oil Exports will save military lives

An Army veteran -- and the father of a current U.S. military member -- urged natural gas industry leaders recently to continue their efforts to free the nation from the entanglements of imported energy, not only for commercial gain, but also to save American lives.

Speaking at the Shale Insights 2015 conference recently in Philadelphia, retired Capt. James McCormick said every dollar an American spends on foreign energy is a dollar that could be going toward the purchase of weapons used to harm U.S. military members.

“When my son was overseas, and each time I filled my tank, I wondered how much of the money I used to pay for my gas would be spent by a terrorist nation to buy guns that would be used to kill my son," McCormick said. “We have a chance, right now, to become 100 percent energy independent, but only if we implement the right policies and allow our private sector to harness the massive resources we have inside our own borders."

A veteran of the Iraq War, McCormick has three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. In addition to being a full-time organics farmer in West Virginia, he is the state program director for Vets4Energy,  a national group of volunteers who encourage safe, sound energy policies that will help the U.S. become self-sufficient with its own energy.

McCormick said he lost a number of his own friends while fighting in foreign wars in which the U.S. military would not have been needed if not for the oil reserves. 

“Every site you drill is taking us closer to energy independence," McCormick said. "We, and you, must keep this thing going because it’s the patriotic thing to do. We have to honor the sacrifice of thousands of men and women in uniform. Many have paid the ultimate price. The void left in their families can never be filled. Don’t let their sacrifice be in vain.”