Thank You For Your Service

With the coming of the Memorial Day weekend, I want to take the time to recognize the many men and women who have died in defending the country. The soldiers and sailors in the service of the United States make tremendous sacrifices to provide security for the rest of us living here. The time spent away from home, separated from their families and loved ones; it is truly a great sacrifice these men and women give so that the rest of us can remain safe and secure in our homes.

I had promised not to use the cliché,”the ultimate sacrifice” in this essay. Yet, the phrase seems so appropriate to recognize the men and women who have died in the service of the country. To the many millions of men and women who have served in the Armed Forces, I can only say “thank you for all that you have done to make my life so rewarding.”

While I am thanking people for their service, I want to recognize the men and women, also in uniform, who serve in the communities helping to protect me and my family: the police and fire departments, the emergency response teams, the paramedics and ambulance drivers and all the employees in hospitals. So many individuals work to make their community a safer place. They need to be acknowledged as well. So many people risk their lives and their well being for my protection and security, I want to say thank you to you all.