As you may have heard in the news, President Bush paid a visit to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on Monday morning. Jeff was among those who got to see him in person, and hear him speak to them! One of the things that he told the troops was to go call their wives and tell them thank you from him. He is aware of the major sacrifice it is for families to live without husbands and fathers for so long while they work in harm's way to protect our country. It means a lot to me. I take it as a personal "thank you" from none other than our Commander in Chief.
Before Jeff deployed the first time, in October of 2001, the families of Jeff's unit were shown a video message from President Bush, recorded specifically for deploying military families. It felt up close and personal as he sincerely thanked us for our sacrifice as we were sending our soldiers away. I felt his sincerity then too. His gratitude for my sacrifice lifts me.
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Following is Jeff's telling of President Bush's visit.
All -
Last night at about 6 pm, my command asked for any volunteers who would like to attend a meeting with an unknown distinguished visitor. The report time was 2:30 the following morning (and yes, it was very cold). I volunteered and am very glad I did. Shortly after I agreed to the meeting, we heard that President George W. Bush was visiting Iraq, so we put two and two together.
We were escorted to a very large tent, where planes are repaired. The tent was well decorated with military vehicles and such. Hot cocoa was served (thank goodness)! About 500 or more soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines were in attendance. After waiting for about four hours, the President arrived in Air Force One. I have to admit that that is one amazing airplane! It was awesome to see it land and park right in front of the tent. In addition, I was able to get close to the walkway, and was literally inches away from the President. This is the second President Bush I have met in person!
The President talked for about fifteen minutes about several topics. He first said that everyone is asking him what he will miss the most about being the president. His answer was first that he would miss his airplane, Air Force One, but above all else he would miss being the Commander in Chief of the US Military. He thanked the men and women in uniform for their sacrifice and service. He then went on to explain how the Afghanistan's Demographics have changed, due to the work of the US Military. Girls are now able to go to school. Public executions and beatings are now done away with. And, elections are taking place next year, all courtesy of the Service Members.
He then told us to relay a message to our spouses and families, to thank them for their sacrifice and support to their servicemen. He acknowledged that spouses and family deal with the heaviest of the burdens placed on the military. They are the ones left at home to deal with the challenges of life while living with the fact their spouses are in danger while serving their country. The President specifically wanted to pass that message of thanks on to the families.
It was a wonderful experience to see and meet the President, even if he is president for only 35 more days.
Jeff
