War is never easy. Indeed, as Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman once
said, "War is hell." And despite our variant views of it, we all can agree
that our service members deserve our support and commendations. As with you,
I'm humbled by their courage and grateful for their service.
The military is very close to me because it turned my life
around. Joining the military helped me get on the right path. I still
believe it can help others, too. That is why I stand with the majority of
Americans who say to all our service members and their families -- and
indeed all the veterans who have served this great country and the cause of
freedom -- that we salute you. We support you. And we will continue to pray
for you.
Just this past week, we heard Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad warn the West with his test missile, leaders from
Taliban-teetering Pakistan battling more civil unrest, continued debate
about where to place the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, and speeches from
President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney justifying
their warfare and blame game in this terrorist-peppered post-9/11 era, etc.
The world is far from a safe place.
And while our politicians pontificate over their positions and
purposes, those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, their families and our
present service members continue even now to make real sacrifices. As Gen.
Norman Schwarzkopf once humbly concluded: "It doesn't take a hero to order
men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into
battle."
If ever there were a time we should be grateful for our service
members, it would be now. Memorial Day and Veterans Day should not be
bottled up into two days a year. Our patriotic commemorations and military
gratefulness should extend to every day of the year.
That is why, whether you're abroad or stateside, I encourage
everyone to put into practice something I did in Iraq and try to do every
time I see a military person in uniform anywhere. I stop him or her, look in
his or her eyes, shake his or her hand, and say, "Thank you for your
service." As Brig. Gen. S.L.A. Marshall said in "The Armed Forces Officer,"
"Also remember that in any man's dark hour, a pat on the back and an earnest
handclasp may work a small miracle."