What the American people have learned from recent terror acts like the Boston Marathon bombing “is that we must be very vigilant in the face of terror,” New York City Councilman Jim Gennaro of Queens told Arutz Sheva in a strongly worded Memorial Day message.

“Terror is everywhere and we have to be vigilant,” he said. “Sadly there are still those Americans who have not learned this lesson. Who feel that we shouldn’t be so strict. That we shouldn’t be vigilant. That we should just focus on our freedom. And I think that’s the wrong approach.”

“We have to cherish our freedom,” he stressed .”The only way to cherish your freedom is to make sure that someone doesn’t take it from you. And I think that’s what’s important. That’s what we have to focus on; vigilance in the face of an ever-escalating amount of terror around the world.”

There is a special burden on the Obama administration “to recognize that this terror exists, to look it in the face [and] do everything that one can to fight that terror,” Gennaro said.

On the day when America mourns its brave military heroes, Arutz Sheva also spoke to Stefan, a Vietnam war veteran, and to Pesal Arrowood, whose uncle was an officer in the U.S. Military, and was killed before he was born.