Veterans Day

It is Veterans Day. Though home, I am reminded of the sacrifice of the men and women that I have seen on military bases and on patrol all over Afghanistan.  I am filled with gratitude for the everyday bravery they show, and the job they do to make my job possible. In their presence I am humbled. I am truly lucky to be from a country where their sacrifice makes better the lives of so many, be it at home or far away.

Yesterday, the President spoke at Fort Hood.  His remarks were profound and moving. A short excerpt is here, but I really encourage everyone to read the full text , which gives great honor to those that serve. 

We come together filled with sorrow for the 13 Americans that we have lost; with gratitude for the lives that they led; and with a determination to honor them through the work we carry on.

This is a time of war. Yet these Americans did not die on a foreign field of battle. They were killed here, on American soil, in the heart of this great state and the heart of this great American community. This is the fact that makes the tragedy even more painful, even more incomprehensible.

For those families who have lost a loved one, no words can fill the void that's been left. We knew these men and women as soldiers and caregivers. You knew them as mothers and fathers; sons and daughters; sisters and brothers.

But here is what you must also know: Your loved ones endure through the life of our nation. Their memory will be honored in the places they lived and by the people they touched. Their life's work is our security, and the freedom that we all too often take for granted. Every evening that the sun sets on a tranquil town; every dawn that a flag is unfurled; every moment that an American enjoys life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- that is their legacy.

Neither this country -- nor the values upon which we were founded -- could exist without men and women like these 13 Americans. And that is why we must pay tribute to their stories. Full text here