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Opinion Pieces

The stories that we tell

This article was originally published in The Highland County Press. You probably haven't heard of Larry Miller. Larry is an everyday American citizen in his 70s. Most people would know him as a retired management consultant living in north Reading, Pa. However, over the past eight years, he has been...

Column: Kurds were invaluable to US in our time of need

Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch. There are no greater lovers of peace than those who served in war. Their service is a summons that they do not seek, yet it is a call and a responsibility that they do not shirk. I know this love firsthand, from my tour of duty as a combat surgeon in Ir...

Gratitude and Grit

“I believe we live in a great country, a country that’s great enough to help a man financially when he’s in trouble. But lately, I’ve had some good fortune, and I’m back in the black. I just thought I should return it.” That country is our own United States of America. The quote is from Russel Crowe...

What I saw during my trip to the border

This summer, I traveled to the southern border to see firsthand the unprecedented influx of asylum seekers at the Rio Grande Valley Sector, in Texas. I traveled with the GOP Doctor’s Caucus, a group of health care professionals serving in Congress. We met with senior medical officials and were able ...

Revitalizing a City: Portsmouth’s Stories of Hope

Originally published in the Cincinnati Enquirer* For too long, local and national media outlets have defined Portsmouth in Scioto County here in Ohio’s Second District by one thing: the opioid crisis. This is a reality. The destruction wreaked on our communities by opioids has torn too many families...

Trade agreement would create jobs, support farmers

*Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch After years of stagnation and slow recovery, our economy is roaring. The unemployment rate is at a 50-year low, average wages are rising and Americans are keeping more money in their pockets thanks to tax relief. But this economic momentum for American ...

Why Venezuela’s Crisis Matters -- to Us Here in the U.S.

*Originally published in the Cincinnati Enquirer Last month, at least 46 protestors were injured during clashes with security forces in Venezuela, following a call by Juan Guaidó for the people to rise up and the military to revolt against socialist Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This confront...

4 Lessons I Learned from My Dad

*Originally published in the Cincinnati Enquirer My father, Jack Wenstrup, passed away this year on May 3, 2019. When someone you love leaves this earth, there's a hole in the fabric of your life that never quite gets patched over. Even as new memories are woven, there is still that ache of somethin...

Those Who Lay Down Their Lives

The natural human instinct is to run away from danger. That panicky, heart-pounding urge to turn tail and flee is often good — it's part of our self-preservation and survival. But there's something special about the individuals who push that aside and choose to face danger head-on. I think about the...