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| I like to take this time of the year in the last few weeks before Christmas to thank the men and women serving in the armed forces of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and their allies for their bravery and dedication to duty, and for protecting the freedoms that we so enjoy. Many of you visit this web site from military bases all over the world, and I thank you. And special thanks goes out to the families of soldiers who won't be home this Christmas. We do appreciate your sacrifices.
This year we gave our first-born son to the service of his country. Brian has been accepted to the Royal Military College of Canada as an officer cadet in the Air Force. His goal is to fly as an air navigator on United Nations relief flights. We are so proud of him for becoming the person he has become and for choosing to serve his country. He will be home for this Christmas, and for that we are glad. But if your son, or daughter, or husband, wife, or aunt or uncle won't be able to be with you this holiday season, we pray that they will return safely to you when the job is done, and that you keep a place for them in your homes, and in your hearts. May the people of Iraq and Afghanistan be free to live and follow their own destinies thanks to your sacrifices, and may the women and girls of Afghanistan be forever free from the oppressions of the past. May they be free to enjoy an education without fear. May they be treated with the respect that they deserve as valued members of the human family. My father volunteered to fight in WWII, as did many others of his generation. These men and women left their homes and loved ones and "layed aside the precious things in life to go of their own free will into the vortex of war to fight the enemies of Freedom, Human Sanctity, and Common Decency. (per Lieut.-Colonel C.H. Reeve March 1946 Commander Queen's York Rangers 1st American Regiment)" As an aside, the Queen's York Rangers is the oldest surviving regiment (Canadian or American!!!) in North America. First formed in 1755 in New Hampshire the Queen's York Rangers fought in the Seven Years War against the French and their allies. The regiment's history can be seen here. It's not about religion, politics, or Eastern versus Western cultures. It is about good versus evil. There should be no confusion on this point. Anyone, any religion, any government, or any group that believes in enslaving others, is evil, pure and simple. Anyone who denies women and girls the right to an education and the freedoms that we take for granted; anyone who starves, tortures, subjugates in the name of any cause; anyone who thinks it is okay to summarily execute women in soccer stadiums in the name of religion is evil. War is never undertaken lightly, especially by the soldier in the field who must often pay the ultimate sacrifice. To the members of our Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan; to the 150,000 men and women of the US Armed Forces in Iraq and others deployed around the world, and to their families and loved ones left behind; to the their allies standing beside them on lonely far away places. Thank you. As you wonder why this Christmas season, think of a young Afghani women free to sit in a classroom for the first time in many years... That's why you are there. God bless and keep safe... |
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ken.norwick@shaw.caAll contents copyright © 1999-2006, Ken Norwick. All rights reserved.