This is a letter from a US Soldier in Afghanistan. It is truly a heartfelt message and I believe it represents the heart and spirit of many of our brave and noble servicemen and women who not only deserve our eternal gratitude, but also who are themselves mindful and thankful for all who have gone on before them.

Friends and family,

It's Veteran's Day tomorrow. Back in what seems like another era, pre 9 -11, back when I was teaching American Government at Loveland High School, one of the most special events of my school year was taking a bus load of seniors to Washington DC over Veteran's Day. It seemed to me that November 11 provided a special context for a special journey. We of course went to many of the sites in DC - the Archives and Capitol and Supreme Court, monuments and memorials to Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt, and my favorite - Arlington Cemetery.

But for me the best part of that entire trip was a talk I gave as we were heading home out of Washington after our final sightseeing visit - to the Marine Corps Memorial. It gave me a chance to try and pull the many experiences of the trip together for my kids. I talked about how the many memorials and fancy buildings are more than just monuments to what was - they are a question to us as to what will be. Will we squander our freedom, or use it to illuminate? How very precious our America is - and how important it is for all of us to do what we can to live up to the demands of what has been bequeathed to us by our forefathers, to accept the challenges and the opportunity of liberty and self government.

I never made it all the way through that talk without having to take a moment to get myself together, thinking about the price that so many have paid to give me so much, and wondering if I would be up to the task myself. The attacks on 9 -11 thrust that task on all of us. We are in difficult times today, but then we have been so many times in our past. There is a very real war in our world today, and it's not just in Iraq and Afghanistan - it is rightly called the global war on terror.

And on this November 11, the question I asked my kids on the bus in past Novembers is still there - to each of us in our world; are we doing what we can to protect the principles which define America and which previous generations have passed on to us? Every one of us is called to stand up for what we believe in and do what we can to preserve or advance freedom here and around our world. I know you can't see who all gets this e-mail, or would even know who half the people are, but trust me when I tell you that there are some American heroes on it. Many never wore a uniform, but some did - in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, or stood vigilant and ready in the years between. "Not for fame or reward , not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity; but in simple obedience to duty as they understood it ... "

Today, this is for you. If you are a Veteran, from me to you - thank you for all you did when it was your turn, and I want you to know I'm doing the best I know how while it's my turn. I owe that to you and every other American who ever wore the uniform to defend this great and good country of ours. You are my heroes who I take inspiration from every day. And right up there with you are your family members who know too well what sacrifice must be made for what you did. If you're not a veteran, find the ones you know and tell them thanks.

You have an incredible thing in America called freedom, which so many have done so much through history to win, expand and protect. Millions of Americans from all walks of life can stake a claim to the hard work that went into that, and that continues today - and our veterans certainly can stand up and be counted for having done their part. Let's all do ours.

All my best,
Dave

On November 11, 1918 World War One ended, at the Eleventh Hour, the Eleventh Minute. This day was called Armistice Day, changed later to Veteran's Day in order to HONOR ALL VETERANS. With this in mind, if you know a Veteran, please express your gratitude to him or her. And if there are any Veteran's Day Events in your area, please go out and show your appreciation and support. And above all, please take the time this day and every day to remember in prayer those who are serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere throughout the world.