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Warfighters Come Home

By: Dave Poff (haystack) (Diary)  |  August 19th, 2010 at 12:28 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

CentCom is reporting that the last American combat brigade has left Iraq. With all the other news going on around the US, there is an unfortunate likelihood that this will be missed…or used to check off a “to do” from the agenda of a political maelstrom that has run amok in recent days.

Whatever might not be said in the days ahead, we owe these men and women a debt of gratitude we will never be able to fully repay. And yet this country needs to make every effort to try. For every Soldier you see…be they at the store, or in the airport, or climbing aboard a Greyhound bus…take a moment to shake their hand and say to them “thank you for your service”…it’s the very least any of us can do.

4,415 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines lost their lives in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Along the way, millions of Iraqis were freed from the bondage of a despicable tyrannical regime, terrorists were shown the resolve of the American people, and the Iraqi people were given a chance at a freedom that many countries, today, still do not enjoy.

To the returning heroes, I give thanks. To the families of the fallen I give my sincerest condolences and heartfelt appreciation for the sacrifice you have been asked to endure. To the Iraqi people I pray for your safety and security and your best fortunes in the days ahead, knowing the fight for your freedom is an enduring one.

To the American people, I pray you open your hearts and your arms wide, and welcome these brave men and women home, and give them the full mettle of your love and your support…and your understanding that they have sacrificed for you in ways you may never fully comprehend.

Welcome home, Soldiers, and may God bless you and your families and the United States of America.

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  • jeffreywturner

    Let us all remember the those who willingly lay down their lives for our freedom: (1) the American service-members who lay down their lives for our freedom from tyranny, and (2) Jesus of Nazareth who laid down his life for our freedom from sin, for without either of these we would all be slaves in one sense of the word or another.

  • gekster

    I simply walk up to them , shake thier hand, and just say Thank You.
    Most of the time I approach them, I get a confused look at first,
    as to whats up with this nut.
    After I shake thier hand and thank them, I get a look of gratitude.
    I say no more and walk away.
    It’s more than I got when I came home.

  • http://www.redstate.com/tnjim TNJim

    I just hope the current Commander-in-chief realizes that.

    Well said, Dave.

  • havasu

    Thank you all for what you have done, and for your love of country.
    All of us should do something to thank these men and women: even something as simple as surreptitiously picking up the check at a diner, carrying a bag for them at the airport or a simple ‘thank you for serving’—these are not men and women looking for glory and wealth, but simple appreciation that they have served their country, and that their countrymen appreciate them in return.
    It is an honor to be a citizen of a country that produces such individuals.

  • Achance

    that gave up his first class seat from Atlanta to Munich to my soldier son. The People of America appreciate the troops even if the ruling class doesn’t.

  • holystone

    The Iraqis appear to have as much of a sense of appreciation as the left does. My utmost appreciation to those who have served this great nation. They are all exceptional.