Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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December 27, 2007
0630 Hrs
Baghdad, Iraq

A very merry Christmas to you all.

I hope everyone has recovered from a night of drinking and being merry and that everyone’s holiday has been safe and joyous with family and friends.

Move America Forward’s Iraq delegation is still here, with our favorite friends of all, our brave servicemen and women serving here in Iraq. We’ve been here in southern Baghdad for a almost a whole week and our troops have shown us many wonderful things since we arrived.

We have been out on the streets of Baghdad, seen the progress and the great work that our soldiers have done.

We have been in the mess hall and wandered around base to see how the soldiers spend their days. We have passed out Christmas cards and wished out troops a Merry Christmas.

We have interviewed dozens of soldiers to get in-depth views of their thoughts on the war, the military life, their families back home and how they feel during the holidays.

We’ve been taken behind closed doors to see how our military negotiates with and works with political parties, neighborhoods, and Iraqi security forces to produce safety and a better way of life for the Iraqi people.

We’ve been shown first-hand how our troops walk the neighborhoods and goes into homes to visit with the Iraqis.

We have seen how our military does it’s job, flushing out terrorists from the neighborhoods and bringing them to justice, and been shown exactly how they’re doing it, and with what great success.

We have seen the professionalism, the leadership, the compassion, the maturity, the determination, the sense of responsibility and duty, and the strength that defines a new generation of fighting men and women who are committed to excellence and the success of their mission.

All of these things have been shown to us by our men and women here in Iraq who have taken excellent care of Mary, Debbie Lee, and I this Christmas. It’s been an immensely enjoyable and educating experience so far, and it’s not even over yet.

I keep thinking to myself…how do I sort through it all? There is so much to see here, we haven’t even scratched the surface. And all that we have seen, how do we tell the story? We have been bombarded with so much information, we have seen so much, I can’t even begin to tell of all the wonderful things that the soldiers here have shown me and told of. It will take days and days of writing to even attempt to impart a little of that back to our readers back home, but we will do our best.

In the mean time, please check out these photos of our troops at Christmas time. I must say, I arrived there with Debbie Lee and Mary Pearson thinking that we were coming to brighten THEIR holiday season. But really, they have lightened our loads this Christmas, they have made OUR Christmas better, by showing us that they did not need us to lift their spirits. Their spirits are already high, their attitudes and smiles have shown that.

We came here to thank them, but every time we try, they thank us. We came here to show them a Merry Christmas, but it is they who have shown us a wonderful time this holiday.

These men and women, our sons and daughters in the armed forces, have shown a selflessness and grace - even after we have asked so much of them - that is truly remarkable. They have gone to war for their country and taken up arms in defense of a fledgling nation of people they have never known before, sacrificed time and time again, and sacrificed so much, and ask nothing in return. They continue to give and give.

We honor you. We thank you and praise you for the good work you do, and wish you a Merry Christmas…our American Soldier.