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President Obama's Weekly Address | Giving Thanks for Our Troops

Uploaded 12/14/2014

Giving Thanks for Our Troops

“In this week’s address, the President thanks the men and women in uniform who serve and sacrifice to protect the freedom, prosperity, and security that we all enjoy as Americans.”

 

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT

 

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
December 13, 2014

Hi, everybody. It’s the holidays—a season to give thanks for our many blessings. The love of family. The joy of good friends. The bonds of community. The freedom we cherish as Americans. The peace and justice we seek in the world.

As we go about our days, as we gather with loved ones and friends, it’s important to remember: our way of life—the freedom, prosperity and security that we enjoy as Americans—is not a gift that is simply handed to us. It has to be earned—by every generation. And no one sacrifices more to preserve our blessings than our extraordinary men and women in uniform.

That’s why, on Monday, I’ll be visiting our troops at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey—to salute them for their service and thank them for their sacrifices. Since our nation was attacked on 9/11, these men and women, like so many others in uniform, have met every mission we’ve asked of them. They deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. In more than a decade of war, this 9/11 Generation has worked with the Afghan people to help them reclaim their communities and prevent terrorist attacks against our own country.

Now, many of our troops are returning from Afghanistan, and on Monday, I’ll be proud to help welcome them home. That’s because, this month, our combat mission in Afghanistan will be over. Our war in Afghanistan is coming to a responsible end.

Of course, the end of our combat mission in Afghanistan doesn’t mean the end of challenges to our security.We’ll continue to work with Afghans to make sure their country is stable and secure and is never again used to launch attacks against America. The troops I’ll visit on Monday have been part of our mission to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL in Iraq and Syria. They’ve been supporting our efforts in West Africa to fight the Ebola epidemic and save lives. Because in times of crisis and challenge, the world turns to America for leadership. And when the world calls on America, we call on the brave men and women of our armed forces to do what no one else can.

So this holiday season, as we give thanks for the blessings in our own lives, let’s also give thanks to our men and women in uniform who make those blessings possible. Even as some are coming home for the holidays, many more will be far from their families, who sacrifice along with them.

There are so many ways we can express our gratitude to our troops, their families and our veterans—everyone can do something. To find out what you can do, just go to JoiningForces.gov. As a nation, as Americans, let’s always keep striving to serve them as well as they have always served us.

Thanks, have a great weekend, and God bless our troops and their families.

(c)2014 The White House | SCVTV
16 Comments for President Obama's Weekly Address: Giving Thanks for Our Troops
  1. As a Marine Corps Vet, I reserve the right to say this:
    Take your speech and shove it. I don’t believe a word you say and I cannot wait for the day when you no longer reside in the White House.

    • So one has to be a vet to mimic Fox News? It’s gonna be HILARIOUS to see how folks like you react when nothing changes at all when a Republican is back in the White House. Ha!

    • Aw buttercup, your so special. Congratulations, you win the #mentalmidget award of the day. Nowhere in my statement did I reference Fox News and I also did not identify as a Republican either. I simply stated for the record my dislike for the sack of crap that’s occupying the White House. I identified myself as a veteran because his speech was directed at people such as myself. So, in reality, the joke’s on you special one. Don’t worry though, I won’t tell your short bus driver that you like to lick the windows.

    • I am a veteran, and I am not pleased with either party….. since both are in the process of screwing as many of us as possible.

    • I agree Joyce, I’m an independent for that reason.

  2. Dobie Gillis Dobie Gillis says:

    Waits for amazing comments.

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