Next week we get them blogging

In “The Hill” magazine, the Joint Chiefs have some words for the American people as we head into Memorial Day – I thought I’d share them with you:

From the Chairman – “The World’s Finest Armed Forces”:

May is National Military Appreciation Month, and it is fitting that we pause to honor our Nation’s men and women in uniform, to recognize your continued faithful service, and to thank you for your demonstrated courage and commitment.

You are quite simply the finest armed forces in the world, defending the United States and other freedom-loving nations against a ruthless enemy and demonstrating remarkable resolve on land, in the air, and on the seas. The world looks to America’s military for stability and strength in times of need – and you deliver. Whether conducting rescue operations and restoring order to storm-torn neighborhoods here at home, or working side by side with our Iraqi, Afghan, and Coalition counterparts, your efforts ultimately ensure others have an opportunity to live in freedom. (More)

The Army Chief of Staff (gotta give the senior service their due):

We are the force we are today because of our values, our ethos and our people. The essence of a Soldier’s service is captured in the Soldier’s Creed. While the Soldier’s Creed itself is relatively new, the values it articulates are timeless.

The history of battle is one of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the service of their country. A great many books have been written which describe in marvelous and inspiring detail examples of Soldiers who have lived the Creed. And yet, for every book written there are millions of examples from our Army’s almost 232 history of the largely anonymous service of Soldiers who have quietly and professionally lived these values in both peace and in war.

While the nature of both the heralded and unheralded service is varied, they all began with someone answering the “call to duty” in times of danger for our country. That call, a call that pierces the air once again, comes from the American People. The Creed recognizes this when it states “I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.” (More)

The Chief of Naval Operations speaks of building trust:

If you ask a Navy Seabee serving in Joint Task Force Horn of Africa what it is he or she is building over there, the answer you get back might surprise you.

Sure, they are building schools and roads and wells. They are building hospitals and power stations. They work hard every day to build the sort of infrastructure and support mechanisms that enable local governments to stand on their own two feet.

But mostly, I think the Seabees would tell you they are building friendships. They are building trust.

“There is an atmosphere of distrust and dislike towards Americans,” writes Lt. Ben Miller, a Seabee serving with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 at JTF-HOA, “when in fact there is merely a misunderstanding between cultures. If everyone took the time to learn more about other cultures, you will find you can form long-lasting, positive impressions that will shape our future … Simple acts like having an English conversation with the locals, playing soccer, or community service projects go a long way to foster good will.” (More)

The Commandant writes of moral and the Corps – as though that wasn’t being redundant:

Your Marines recognize that this is an important time in history to serve their country. The Corps has tens of thousands of Marines battling the insurgency in Iraq and many thousands more forward deployed securing our freedom. Our enemy is ruthless and bent on the oppression of liberty and worldwide domination. Marines shoulder their responsibility with bravery and resolve in this time of great national challenge, and we remain committed to fulfilling our Congressionally mandated mission to be the “most ready when the Nation is least ready.”

The Marines of today are magnificent young men and women. The high quality young men and women who undergo the Marine transformation are patriots, and they understand why they serve – well over two thirds of them have enlisted or reenlisted after the 9/11 attacks – knowing that they will be asked to sacrifice much for their Nation. I have seen these young people in combat; their raw courage, their sense of sacrifice, and their teamwork are truly inspirational, and I am proud of their service to our country. It is through their tremendous sacrifices and those of their fellow service men and women that we will ultimately prevail in this Long War. (More)

The USAF Chief of Staff is permitted to speak as well:

The January 2007 Chinese test of an Anti-Satellite weapon (ASAT) and the doubling of Russia’s defense outlays should remind the American people that the world remains a dangerous place—quite outside the ongoing Global War on Terror and the battlegrounds of Iraq and Afghanistan. An arch of instability literally spans the globe from Latin America, through East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Russia, China, Africa, and the rest of the greater Middle East. Simply put, the world has not taken a time out to accommodate our fixation on the fight in Baghdad and al-Anbar province.

Like most Americans, I look at the world through the eyes of a concerned citizen. But, my perspectives are also refracted through other prisms: As the father of an Air Force fighter pilot—whom I’ve already sent into combat—I’m concerned that we make wise decisions and invest in modernizing and recapitalizing our aging fleet—much of it older than my own son. I also have the unique outlook that stems from 35 years of service—to include wartime command—as well as from my present position as the Eighteenth Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. All these perspectives—and the awesome responsibility of leading our Air Force at this time of peril—merged in my mind on 14 October, 2006, when I dedicated a Memorial to commemorate the sacrifice of the 54,000 Airmen who gave their lives to safeguard America’s freedom. All these perspectives compel me to take a hard look at the Air Force, to ensure our Airmen are organized, trained and equipped to meet new challenges when called upon. (More)

We mustn’t forget the National Guard, not these days:

Memorial Day is the time for Americans to reconnect with their history and core values by honoring those who gave their lives for their Nation. As I write this, nearly 500 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen have given their lives in the war on terrorism in order to defend our values and ideals. And we cherish their memory. Every single day.

The observance of Memorial Day was born of compassion and empathy in 1863. As the Civil War raged, grieving mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, and other loved ones were cleaning confederate soldiers’ graves in Columbus, Mississippi, placing flowers on them. They noticed nearby the union soldiers’ graves, dusty, overgrown with weeds. Grieving for their own fallen soldiers, the confederate women understood that the dead union soldiers buried nearby were the cherished loved ones of families and communities far away. They cleared the tangled brush and mud from those graves as well as their own soldiers’ graves and laid flowers on them too.

Families and neighbors all across America this Memorial Day will gather to revive honored traditions, remember, and renew hope. And as they do, their thoughts and prayers will naturally turn, as mine do, to the men and women whose mission it is to defend peace and freedom, both at home and abroad. Today’s National Guard is still the sharp sword of freedom. The National Guard saves lives and reduces human suffering in every ZIP code in America. National Guardsmen fight without complaint in foreign skies and hostile lands. They voluntarily put their lives at risk and sacrifice their comfort and the comfort of their families and employers so that our fellow citizens can enjoy the blessings and the benefits of liberty. It is a sacrifice made even more precious by the fact that they render it willingly. I join with my fellow Americans in honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice. (More)

Nor the Coast Guard either:

Earlier this month, I honored a team of Coast Guard men and women for a perilous rescue of forty people from a research vessel burning in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In desperation, the crew was abandoning ship into the cold winter sea, while a Coast Guard helicopter and two boats vectored to the scene. Our crews recovered all forty people just before the vessel became engulfed in flames.

It gave me great pride to know that I serve among such talented and selfless people, young men and women who put the lives of others before their own. I started thinking about the folks who were not at this awards event, the ones making things happen behind the scenes – the cooks, yeoman, mechanics, electricians, and mission support folks who do not garner attention at these types of ceremonies or in the headlines. I thought back to the movie “The Guardian,” which highlighted the courage and fortitude of our rescue swimmers, who tend to be the most visible in our service. Unfortunately, the movie, and quite frankly our own awards and even some of the best news coverage, does not tell the whole story.

Saving lives is about bravery and courage, and about an individual’s character, but it goes well beyond that. Every member of the Coast Guard shares our core values of Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty. And each individual member plays an important role in all that we do – every operation, sortie, and mission. (More)

One team, one fight.

Let’s get it on.