The contributions U.S. servicemembers are making in Iraq are helping ensure the peace and security families across the United States will enjoy this Thanksgiving, the commander of coalition operations in Iraq told Pentagon reporters via satellite today. "I am struck in this holiday season by the enormous sacrifice of the young men and women over here -- the things that they're doing on a daily basis on our behalf as a nation," said Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq and the U.S. Army's 18th Airborne Corps. Vines called their contributions "absolutely magnificent," particularly in light of the complexity of the tasks involved. These include developing Iraq's security forces fighting an insurgency, helping build a new government and reconstructing a country devastated by more than 30 years of war and oppression.
"And I believe, in a very direct way, they're helping to provide for the security and safety of our fellow citizens back in the United States," Vines said.