Why I support you!

Hello from Puyallup, Washington.

This letter is to all of the men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces, regardless of branch, specialty or whether you are regular, reserves or National Guard. I wanted to tell you all how much I appreciate the sacrifices you (and your families) make for our nation on a daily basis. I know we have never met, and probably will never meet but you folks have my undying gratitude for what you do and what you put up with to serve our nation. Whatever reasons you had for enlisting, you became my hero once you took the oath and put your uniform on. And to me you are heroes, more so than any camera chasing bottle blond ditz from Hollywood or some overgrown jock playing “professional” sports ever will be.

I support you because you are doing what others are either unable to do or unwilling to do themselves. I support you because you are putting yourself in harm’s way for someone you never met before, but who you were willing to risk everything for. I support you because you were not content to sit back and enjoy liberties and freedoms earned for you by the generations that came before you, but were willing to preserve those same freedoms for generations to come and to also bring them to people who have never known liberty before. I support you because you had the courage to stand up and say “What can I do to help?” when things needed to be done.

You are standing up for something that is greater than yourselves, and which will probably never bring you great riches or fame. You are continuing the tradition of service and sacrifice that started hundreds of years ago in places like Valley Forge, Saratoga and Yorktown and which still lives on today in places like Fallujah, Ramadi, Basra and throughout Afghanistan. If you could look back through the history of our nation you would see an incredible sight. You would see every man and woman who has ever set aside their own safety and stepped forward when the call was sounded and our nation’s needs were great. You would see millions of Americans standing behind you, passing along the freedoms they paid for at such great cost. And now you all stand in the front rank of that noble company, carrying forward everything they have fought and died for, and taking your place among the quiet, unsung heroes that our nation needs to thrive and survive.

I know what you have been through because I am standing there in that line behind you, as my father, grandfather and great grandfather did before me. I know what it is like to be separated from loved ones and to lose friends fighting on foreign soil. I wanted to tell you that you are not alone, that you are loved, supported and respected by those of us who know just how valuable you truly are to our country and our way of life and to let you know that you will always be in my prayers for strength in your duties, safety from harm and that you are home soon once more.

I want to leave you with a quote that I have always taken to heart.

“Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have” – President Ronald Regan

Thank you and God bless each and every one of you.

HI, FIRST I HAVE TO TELL YOU IT WAS SO HARD TO PICK WHICH BRANCH TO WRITE TO BECAUSE I SUPPORT ALL OF YOU. I MYSELF AM AN AIR FORCE BRAT, BUT WHEN MY DAD FIRST JOINED IT WAS STILL ARMY. WE HAVE AIR FORCE, ARMY, MARINES AND MY OLDIEST SISTER HAD MARRIER INTO NAVY, AND LITTLE NIECE, GOT THROUGH BOOT FOR COAST GAURD, BUT ENDED UP WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS. SO YOU SEE HOW HARD IT IS, I HAVE MY HEART AND PRAYERS WITH ALL OF YOU.
YOU ARE ALL HEROS, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, ALL BRANCHS, ALL RANKS.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND STAY SAFE, 6'sCOVERED HEADS LOW. THE WORLDS HEROS AND THE WIND BENIETH OUR WINGS.
GYPSEY

As a former USAF member, the best I can suggest is that you hang in there and do the what you can to advance yourself and stay safe.

The impressions that you may have now about your service may change over the years.

Don't be afraid to give it your all.