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A wish-list of gratitude for the holidays
Washington, DC,
December 1, 2007
With Thanksgiving just past and Christmas coming soon, this holiday season is a time to think back over the past year and reflect on the many blessings for which we are grateful. As I reflect on the things worth giving thanks for this year, there are seve
A wish-list of gratitude for the holidays Giving thanks for our freedoms and our servicemen and women By Congresswoman Virginia Foxx With Thanksgiving just past and Christmas coming soon, this holiday season is a time to think back over the past year and reflect on the many blessings for which we are grateful. As I reflect on the things worth giving thanks for this year, there are several that quickly come to mind. Our nation’s troops who volunteer to protect our nation and our freedoms in an age of terror deserve our profound gratitude. I’m also thankful that we are citizens of a nation with strong protections for individual rights that are codified in documents like the Constitution. We live in a great nation, where people of diverse faiths worship freely, without government interference and where we are free to express opposing opinions, safe in the knowledge that our speech is protected by the law of the land. And how could we forget to be thankful that ours is a land of opportunity, where people from all walks of life can pursue the American Dream? Space does not permit an exhaustive list, but this abbreviated list is shot through with the theme of freedom. Our nation is built on the freedoms set forth in our Constitution and these freedoms are protected by our nation’s brave and self-sacrificing troops. These troops, many of whom will be away from family and friends during this holiday season, represent our collective commitment to the cause of freedom. Throughout our nation’s history our armed forces have preserved our freedom. From the first shots fired at Lexington in 1775 to the troopers storming the beaches of Normandy and in the many conflicts since, our military men and women have put their lives on the line for freedom. Their acts of bravery give us cause to be thankful that we are partners in a heritage of Americans ready to give all to preserve the liberty we enjoy. American service members are not only committed to our freedom but also have proven again and again that they are the world’s best. Members of Congress from both sides of aisle agree that our troops are making a difference all over the world. Wherever our brave men and women are stationed they bring the promise of freedom and prosperity with them. People from both parties can agree on this: that our troops play unique and positive transformational part in countries around the world. They champion the ideal of liberty and understand from experience that freedom is an incubator for prosperity. Our troops hail from a land where innovation and hard work is rewarded. They know that their homecoming is to a country where we have seen an historic 50 consecutive months of job creation. For them the relationship between liberty and prosperity is no abstraction. But still, the sooner members of our armed forces can return home the better. So I am thankful for the progress they are making in places like Iraq. Their successes are good news for our servicemen and women and for our nation. Each step our troops take towards bringing calm to Baghdad is a step in the direction of home, a place where family awaits and where they can receive our thanks in person. As we think about the daily sacrifices made to secure American liberty and ensure we live free of fear, let’s express our gratitude for the American way of life and those who protect it. The freedoms that make America great are the same freedoms that our troops volunteered to defend. Let’s take time, as we celebrate the holidays this year, to remember those in the military who help make our celebrations possible. They deserve our thanks, especially during this special time of year when many are deployed and separated from those they love. Editor’s Note: Virginia Foxx is a United States Representative from North Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District. You may contact her office toll free at 1-866-677-8968 or e-mail her from her website, www.foxx.house.gov. |