Today's firings are an ugly, un-American attack on our free press. By tradition and design, the Stars and Stripes is protected by First Amendment principles. The paper has possessed editorial independence for decades. To preserve that independence, and prevent the Pentagon from censoring, Congress passed a law in 1991 creating an independent ombudsman, answerable solely to the Senate and the House. America's brave servicemembers swore an oath to defend the Constitution. They deserve the free and independent press our Founders fought for 250 years ago, not Pravda-style propaganda. The United States is uniquely committed to freedom of the press, and has been since our founding. Accepting censorship means losing our national identity.