Military Family Appreciation Week
We're so proud of them and the choice they've made to support the military while their loved ones serve. We know it isn't always easy, and we appreciate the fact that they do it anyway. We know that their contributions make the world a safer place for all our children. We think it appropriate that Military Family Appreciation Week includes the Thanksgiving holiday. As you count your blessings, we hope you'll remember our men and women in uniform and the families that enable them to serve. We owe them so much, and words are grossly inadequate. Please include them in your prayers of Thanksgiving, for success in their mission and a safe reunion of their families. We encourage you to post a message of thanks to our troops and their families. We'd like to share with you a story by Beth Wilson, published last week in the Kitsap Sun. We often don't realize how foreign the lives of military spouses seem to other civilians. They take the challenges in stride, and try to do the best they can. They don't think they're extraordinary. But to others, they are. Sometimes it helps to see ourselves through others' eyes:
Message from the Chairman This message is from the senior military man in the country, Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: "This month, as we celebrate our blessings, and give thanks for our freedom to enjoy them, we take great pride in honoring November 21-28, 2008, as Military Family Appreciation Week. "Families serve just as their uniformed service members do. And the military family has rarely faced as many challenges as our families do today. After seven years of war, hundreds of thousands of families have served through multiple deployments in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, as well as many other locations throughout the globe. "But the love and support of our military families do more than allow us to serve abroad. Our families serve at the very center of American society. They are the bedrock of a free republic which provides for a common defense – and their commitment to the values of hard work, self-sacrifice, and moral virtue is a source of great pride and inspiration for us all. "And, in this service, some families have suffered great loss – the kind of heart-wrenching loss that echoes for generations. We as a Nation owe the families of the wounded, and the fallen, a lifetime of gratitude and respect for a debt which we can never fully repay. "On behalf of my family and those of the Joint Chiefs, to all our military families, past and present, we thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your love. You truly are a wellspring of our Nation's honor, courage, and strength. With you by our side, we accomplish far more than we ever could alone. Respectfully, M.G. MULLEN  Please, use the "add this" button in the right-hand column or the buttons across the bottom of the page to share this article, and/or Return to top of Military Families Appreciation Week. |
Military Family Appreciation Week is November 21-28. In fact, the entire month of November is Military Family Appreciation Month. We think it appropriate to recognize the courage, dedication, commitment, and support of those family members who didn't raise their right hand to take an oath, but who nevertheless serve this nation through their own sacrifices.
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