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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
Released: May 2, 2003
By Gen. Gregory S. Martin
Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe
RAMSTIEN AIR BASE, Germany – It has been more than 50 years since President Harry Truman signed the proclamation establishing Armed Forces Day as the third Saturday in May.
This is the day when our nation pauses to honor the courage and dedication of America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen.
Much has changed in the last 50 years. We fought conflicts in Korea and Vietnam; we sent troops to Grenada, Lebanon, Panama, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, the Persian Gulf and then came the tragic events of September 11th, 2001.
In
two horrific hours, America and its allies found themselves confronting an
entirely new set of adversaries. These
enemies didn't give formal declarations of their intentions; they struck
without warning, killing more than 3,000 innocent men, women and children.
In an instant, it became very apparent that it was time to call on America's Armed Forces once again -- our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives -- who are willing to risk all they have to defend freedom and our way of life.
And these great professionals made all of us proud as they freed the people of Afghanistan from the oppressive Taliban regime that also harbored the nerve center of the Al Qaida terrorist network.
Most
recently, we have seen those same professionals liberate the people of Iraq
during Operation IRAQI Freedom, and then turn their attention to the
humanitarian relief efforts necessary to ensure freedom and progress for
people of Iraq.
Please join me as we celebrate Armed Forces Day on May 17, held in conjunction with Armed Forces Week May 10-18.
This year's theme "Force for Freedom" is very appropriate as we pay tribute to the service members who serve our nation every day; from the flight line to the front line, whether on the home front or far away from home--they are truly the guardians of our freedom and they are the world's finest fighting force.