Holiday Speech to the troops.
Soldiers and Family members, veterans, and all who have served our nation in uniform, happy holidays to you. This holiday season, like the previous seven, we as a nation find ourselves at war. Being deployed in harm’s way is always a sacrifice for a Soldier and when these deployments coincide with the holiday season the sacrifice is even greater. Your service during this time of year is in keeping with the yuletide goal of establishing peace on Earth. The diplomats negotiate peace, but the Soldier ensures it. Your efforts in defense of our nation, and freedom for people everywhere, is a special gift to all this holiday season.
The American people honor your service and thank you for allowing them to celebrate this season in whatever manner their faith dictates, knowing these most precious freedoms are protected by you. All Soldiers deployed and at home are a critical part of fulfilling the solemn pledge we all take to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Our long history of succeeding in this endeavor gives us faith that the American people will celebrate the holidays in their own way for many generations to come.
American Soldiers should be justly proud of their service. You are among the few Soldiers in history who serve to defend an idea. The proposition that all men are created equal, that the protections embodied in our Bill of Rights apply to all regardless of station, that the people are more important than the very land they live on are well worth our Soldiers’ sacrifice. Freedom and democracy are tenuous things only made to endure because American Soldiers stand guard against all that threatens them. These threats are continuous, thus your service is as well; necessitating you defend our values even during this holiday season. But be assured that the American people respect and understand your sacrifice and know your service on their behalf is both needed and greatly appreciated.
Our Army faces many challenges in the future. We are engaged on two fronts fighting against terrorist threats, we are developing a high-tech Future Combat System, we are taking better care of our wounded warriors than at any time in history, and we are transforming to meet future threats. All these challenges, and many more, could distract you from taking the time to reflect on the importance of this holiday season. But they should not.
I must tell you, no matter what your duties are, be it manning a checkpoint in Fallujah Iraq on Christmas Day, or standing by as a medic on call at Bagram Afghanistan during Eid ul-Adha, or a grandmother taking care of the children of a deployed Soldier at Fort Hood, Texas during Hanukah; whatever your duties are, take some personal time to celebrate the holidays in the manner you see fit.
Let me offer you a story of one of your forbearers to exemplify my point. Over 200 years ago on a frozen Christmas morning, a ragtag Continental Army was encamped along the Pennsylvania shore of the Delaware River exhausted, demoralized and uncertain of its future. They had been defeated by the British enemy in numerous previous battles and were on the verge of losing the war. Desertions were high, and the majority of those who stayed were ill equipped, ill of health, and their enlistments were due to expire at the end of the month. General George Washington bet the fate of our new nation on a surprise attack on Hessian forces in the New Jersey town of Trenton, necessitating a risky crossing of the frozen Delaware River that Christmas Night. The weather was horrendous and the river treacherous. Raging winds combined with snow, sleet and rain to produce almost impossible conditions. To add to the difficulties, a significant number of Washington's force marched through the snow without shoes. On one of the boats during the crossing was Private John Greenwood, who recounted that with all the stress of the mission he had forgotten it was Christmas and decided to pray. He prayed for something that would be repeated by thousands of future American Soldiers finding themselves in harm’s way on Christmas Day. Private Greenwood’s prayer was not for his own safety, or even success in the mission, he simply prayed for the wellbeing of his family and his fellow Soldiers. History tells us about the victory that occurred the next day, ultimately allowing for the birth of our great nation. Private Greenwood’s personal Christmas story, however, is an example of how the success of those patriots came from the strength of their faith and the freedom to practice it. In Private Greenwood’s sacrifice and all Soldiers who followed came the essence of the American Soldier. Our Soldiers defend an idea, allowing Americans the freedom to worship and celebrate their faith in a manner of their choosing. So, if you as a Soldier choose, please take the time to celebrate your faith this holiday season no matter what your religion is, or where you are defending our country from.
Our freedoms are precious, our Soldier’s who sacrifice to provide them are honorable, and the American people are grateful. So, on behalf of the Army leadership and the American people, I want to thank you once more for your service and wish you and yours a most happy holiday season, and all the best in the coming New Year.
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