Freedom isn't free

"Freedom Is Not Free" engraved on the Washington, D.C. Korean War Veterans Memorial.

"Freedom isn't free", "freedom is not free", or "freedom ain't free" is a popular American idiom, used widely in the United States to express gratitude to the military for defending personal freedoms. The idiom may be used as a rhetorical device.

History

"Freedom Is Not Free" was first coined by retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cat Hitchcock of New Mexico Military Institute. The idiom expresses gratitude for the service of members of the military, implicitly stating that the freedoms enjoyed by many citizens in many democracies are only possible through the risks taken and sacrifices made by those in the military, drafted or not. The saying is often used to convey respect specifically to those who have given their lives in defense of freedom.

"Freedom Is Not Free" is engraved into one wall at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.. There is a fountain in front of the memorial.

In popular culture

• The song "Freedom isn't Free" by Paul Colwell circa 1965 formed part of the Up With People repertoire.
• The song "Freedom ain't free" by country singer Chris LeDoux was written in 1981 and released by Liberty Records on the album Old Cowboy Heroes.
• Yngwie Malmsteen has a song called "Freedom Isn't Free" on his 2002 album Attack!!
• A satirical song called "Freedom Isn't Free" was written by Trey Parker for the 2004 movie Team America: World Police.
• The first single on rapper Lupe Fiasco's para
• Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 (2012) is titled "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)".
• "Thank You", a song by India.Arie on her album Songversation, references this idiom with the lines "Oh say can you see? That all freedom isn't free".
• In Machine Head's Song Clenching The Fists of Dissent, from the album The Blackening, there is a line "they say that freedom isn't free, it's paid with the lives of sons and families"

See also

• Gratis versus libre