Photo credit: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
This Veterans Day, as we honor the sacrifices made by
those who serve, let us also recommit ourselves to preserving the legacy our
Guard members have helped safeguard for nearly four centuries -- freedom for
all Americans.
Their service has also produced an operational force
of nearly 450,000 Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen equally adept at fighting an
enemy overseas or a natural disaster at home. This legacy includes supporting
nearly 780,000 overseas deployments since 9/11. Despite the known dangers,
nearly every Soldier and Airman in today’s National Guard either joined or
recommitted since 9/11. Nearly 50 percent are combat veterans.
As your Chief, I have met with Guardsmen and women
serving overseas and in our 50 states, three territories and the District of
Columbia. I have seen Guard members
honing their combat skills at places such as the National Training Center and
the Joint Readiness Training Center. Our Guardsmen and women are also on the
ground in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kosovo, Qatar, Djibouti and the Sinai providing
global security and refining their dual-mission skills working with multinational
counterparts.
On the home front, the National Guard has established
a legacy of saving lives, protecting property and helping restore critical
services after natural and man made disasters. In fiscal year 2015 alone, Guard
members were called upon more than 280 times to help their neighbors recover
from hurricanes, floods and wildfires, logging over 547,100 man-days responding
to homeland emergencies.
Nobody ever fights alone. I am deeply grateful for the
overwhelming support our Guard families, employers, Americans and foreign
partners provide each day to allow us to succeed. Their encouragement inspires
our veterans and strengthens them during deployments when they are unable to
see the parades, the fanfare and celebrations.
This is their legacy and all service members are thankful for it!
This Veterans Day, as we reflect on the legacies left
to us by Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen, lets pay tribute to them by preserving
the proven, reliable and cost-effective force our nation and communities have
counted on for nearly four centuries.
By GEN Frank J. Grass
http://www.nationalguard.mil/
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