Give Thanks To our Military Service Members and Their Families

S.C. Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army Bill Dukes (center-wearing a blue blazer) surrounded by S.C. educators.

By Bill Dukes
S.C. Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army
As the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for South Carolina, I would like to extend my gratitude during this holiday season to all the members of the military who serve our state and nation to secure the protections of liberty for each of us.
As we gather to celebrate the holidays and enjoy the warmth of family and friends, I hope we can all pause to consider what is perhaps our greatest Christmas gift - the gift of freedom. Keep close in our thoughts and prayers the men and women who have given us that gift and continue to defend and
protect it every day.
Please take a moment to remember our service members who are deployed overseas this holiday season. They are far from their families and the comforts of home. For many, these are lonely and difficult days. What goes on in the Middle East is of keen interest to South Carolina. There are significant numbers of military personnel from Charleston Air Force Base, Marine Air Station Beaufort, Shaw Air Force Base and the South Carolina National Guard, that are deployed overseas
during this holiday season.
For every service member that is deployed that means there are family members at home that will be without a special loved one during the holiday season. We pray that all our service members will return home soon and be reunited with their loved ones. Our deployed service members voluntarily stand up and brave the danger and hardships to defend the freedoms we enjoy.
These are young men and women who have chosen service over self. They inspire us all by their willingness to put our safety, our security and our well being first. It is a very humbling experience to know that there are others who will put their lives on the line for people they don’t even know. They portray what we Americans value most - Freedom.
Let’s all give thanks this season and throughout the coming year for the members of our military. Not only do they risk their lives daily but they have sacrificed precious time away from their families so we can enjoy our freedoms.
Let us give thanks as well this season, and throughout the coming year, to the families of the members of our military. It is they who most directly share the burdens of the long struggles to protect our American way of life. As you remember these military families, pray for all the spouses who have been doing the parenting of two while one stands guard for all of us, and remember the
children who wait anxiously for mother or father’s return home.
Let’s be proud, grateful and thankful for all our service members. Each one of them has volunteered to protect our nation. Let us all admire their dedication to duty, their selflessness, and their courage – as well as the ultimate sacrifice some have made for us.
Pray that our service members have comfort and joy and “Peace on Earth” during this holiday season.