Photo: U.S. military personnel wait in line for Thanksgiving dinner at a coalition air base in Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq. (Felipe Dana / AP / wsj.com)
I can't sleep…
Photo: U.S. military personnel wait in line for Thanksgiving dinner at a coalition air base in Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq. (Felipe Dana / AP / wsj.com)
I thank them for their service and their sacrifices.
yes, it really puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? these brave and giving souls are out there for all of us
It does Beth
And at the very least, we should humbly express our thankfulness for them..
At the very least…yes.
I am well aware of this kind of photo. My nephew just returned from his sixth deployment and his final one we pray. He knows no other way of life any more after serving over twenty years serving our country of all of us, along with all the men and women who sacrifice service for freedom. When he was in Iraq I wrote a poem/prose for him. When he received he FB me and thanked me and advised me that he copied it and posted it on their bulletin board for all to read. I was so proud to have made such a small contribution to let them all know how much we care. I am posting it below, perhaps all of those who follow your blog will enjoy it as well.
FREEDOM
They go by air and by sea to a foreign land
The heat and the dust burns their skin
They go not to fight but to lend a hand
In their hearts they carry freedom on their shoulders
They carry weapons in their eyes you can see honor
They leave behind their wives, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters,
Aunts, uncles, cousins, girlfriends, boyfriends, the safety of their home, their jobs, home
cooked meals, holidays with their family and friends, seeing the birth of their children.
They follow in the foot steps of their ancestors before them, many will not return, but
they will persevere and in the end their honor and bravery, and the freedom they carry in
their hearts will rise up. The ones that have gone before them and have not returned are
there beside them shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart reminding them that freedom is not
free. So this holiday season when you are celebrating with family and friends doing the
things you are free to do, in your heart honor the men and women who have
made that possible for you.
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing Patricia
Thank you for allowing me to share David. :o)
This photo put my heart in my throat. So many give so selflessly. One of the many blessings we *must* acknowledge this holiday season….
When I woke up Thanksgiving morning and walked into the living room I caught my husband crying, and maybe for the first time he did not hide it.
The video he was watching is over 20 minutes. He is from Mosul- Iraq. We are here in chicago, all his family is there. Iraqi Arabs living in the heart of the city.
The video was of the coalition troops, mostly Americans, going into an apartment complex building to free the people living there from ISIS members who occupied every empty apartment, used some for weapon storage, and put the civilians in service of them, cooking for them, making sure they are comfortable, and who know what other services they had to provide.
The video was very violent. But as they went up the building, floor by floor, Iraqi families were coming out to say thank you. Old women were hugging them, offering tea and food, because, you know, hospitality, what would people say about them.
There was one father carrying the body of his 2 year old daughter, running out to say thank you.
My family is Thankful in countless ways.
It is easy to forget what our troops gave up. Patricia’s poem is a powerful reminder.
Wow. Thanks for sharing Sawsan.
We must never forget. I also remember all the women serving our country. We don’t see enough footage or press about them. All – men and women – are heroes.
So agree. Thanks Roseanne.
Thank you for this reminder, David. We have a young man in our extended family, who returned from his 3rd deployment with a TBI two years ago and he is still dealing with it.
3 deployments. That’s Service. I hope he finds peace.
Thank you. Me too.
Thanks for keeping the sacrifices of our brave men and women in the forefront. I agree with all the above comments and it’ s sad to see we as a country not doing more for our people who serve. We should be thankful and then some.
Yes, thanks Bim….
I learned long ago Thanksgiving is just another day. A special day, to be sure, but it’s a work day for so many. Nurses, soldiers, police and fire departments — bless them all for giving up the “traditional” day to take care of us. Hopefully all will be home soon to share their own day of thanks with their loved ones.
Easy to forget all that you mention who serve as we enjoy our holidays…thanks for the reminder Claudia.