To those who have served in our military, a resounding thanks!

I come from a military family.  My grandfather served in World War II as well as during the Korean Conflict.  My uncle was a helicopter pilot and lost his life in an accident.  My dad retired just a few years ago from the Kansas National Guard.  Though he wasn't deployed, he was on active duty during Operation Desert Storm, filling three jobs simultaneously.  He deployed during the peace keeping missions in Bosnia, and we were in Alabama at Air War College when Bush announced we'd be moving into Iraq.  On top of that, I married a man with military experience: Nick served for a short time in the Navy. I cannot say how proud and grateful I am for these men and their service, to my dad particularly who has taught me so much about service, duty, and patriotism.

Veteran's Day was this weekend, and I'm grateful for this time set aside to thank those who have served and sacrificed for us in this country.  If not for those who were willing to fight, we would not have gained our independence and the opportunity to form our own government.  If not for those who were willing to serve, we might have lost that hard-won independence in the War of 1812.  Our nation would have splintered in 1861 if not for those who answered the call to arms.  And so it goes through our history.  The men and women who answer the call to duty in our military branches are not just serving our government; they serve us.  Those who go willingly to other lands, who make sacrifices, endure incredibly hardship because they believe it is the right thing to do, they are serving us in protecting our freedoms and our way of life.  And to them, I say thank you.  Thank you so much.  To those you have served, thank you for your time and sacrifice.  For those who are serving on the front lines, thank you for being will to make sacrifices and answering the call to duty.  For those who are serving at home and fulfilling their jobs so that the military can function as it should, thank you for all you do, for the long hours during exercises, for those days and weeks of training away from your families, for being willing to pick up and go when the time comes.  Thank you, also, to all the families of service members for sharing your loved ones with us.  I'm proud to be an American because of you.