Chris Pratt has a message for those who “bitch and moan” about America: remember that your right to free expression was paid for with blood.
The admonishment came at the end of a Memorial Day message Pratt posted to his Instagram page in honor of fallen military members.
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In the post, Pratt said that America’s military has “altered the course of the world for the better” and as examples he pointed out that the Union Army defeated the slave-owning confederacy, that America and its allies defeated the Nazis in World War II, and that Special Forces hunted down and killed the perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attack.
He also included several heart-wrenching images of people grieving fallen service members alongside his message. The pictures include widows and fellow service members crying over caskets and at gravesides.
Pratt said in the post that those who died, “have given us the most free and decent society planet earth has ever seen.” He also warned that “we run the risk of losing that decency when we fail to instill gratitude in the minds of our youth.”
He asked his nearly 31 million Instagram followers to look at the pictures and consider the sacrifices they represent. Anticipating blowback, he had an additional message:
“If you use the comments section on posts like this to bitch and moan about America please understand there are countries in the world where criticizing your government will get you killed or imprisoned. Criticism is a right and necessity in amending the flawed systems of man. So by all means, let your voice be heard. But never forget your right to free expression is paid for in blood.”
The post has more than 3 million likes as of this writing.
Pratt’s movie credits include “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Jurassic World,” “Passengers” and “Zero Dark Thirty.” He was also part of the ensemble cast of the NBC sitcom “Parks and Rec.”
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Chris Pratt stars in the upcoming movie “The Tomorrow War” about a man who is drafted by time travelers to fight in a future war for humanity’s survival. The movie will be released exclusively on Amazon Prime July 2.
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