Can someone please translate this, or dumb it down so even a dummy like me can understand it? It sounds like these guys are in support of the Hatchery on the Elwha.

Times Editorial
_________________________
A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life."