Posted on 11/27/2008 1:22:27 PM PST by daisyscarlett
A very Happy Thanksgiving to you, daisyscarlett. I hope the President and Mrs. Bush had a wonderful day knowing Barbara Bush is on the mend.
President George W. Bush talks to military personnel from Camp David, Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2008. The President called members of the Armed Forces stationed in remote locations worldwide to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and thank them for their service to our nation. White House photo by Eric Draper
Staff Sergeant Kevin R. Everett, U.S. Army (Anchorage, Alaska)
Staff Sergeant Kevin R. Everett, U.S. Army, deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the 101st Division Special Troop Battalion. Staff Sergeant Everett trains incoming soldiers on tactical operations and coordinates and establishes deconfliction measures for airspace between all artillery units and aircraft operating in RC-E Afghanistan. This is Staff Sergeant Everett's second rotation.
Staff Sergeant David A. "Dave" Mickem, U.S. Army (Lynnville, Indiana)
Staff Sergeant David A. "Dave" Mickem, U.S. Army, deployed to Iraq with the 3rd Platoon, 202nd Military Police Company. Staff Sergeant Mickem is a Police Transition Team Leader for the Khalis District. He ensures the training and proper management by the Iraqi police for each of the stations in the district. This is Staff Sergeant Mickem's first deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sergeant Paul E. Savage, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps (Somerville, Massachusetts)
Sergeant Paul E. Savage, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps, deployed to Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine regiment. Sergeant Savage provides real-time analysis of the enemy threat in order to give commanders a clear picture of the battle space.
Lance Corporal Levi Koski, U.S. Marine Corps (Livermore, California)
Lance Corporal Levi Koski, U.S. Marine Corps, deployed to Camp Ramadi, Iraq, with Combat Logistics Battalion 5. Lance Corporal Koski is a Hygiene Equipment Operator.
Petty Officer First Class Corey A. Snowden, U.S. Navy, deployed to U.S Naval Central Command, 5th Fleet, Manama, Bahrain. Petty Officer Snowden leads a division of controllers, database managers and systems operators. In addition Petty Officer Snowden was one of a select few enlisted sailors to qualify as Joint Interface Control Cell Watch Officer.
Petty Officer Second Class Ronnie C. Giordani, U.S. Navy (North Tonawanda, New York)
Petty Officer Second Class Ronnie C. Giordani, U.S. Navy, deployed to Balad, Iraq, with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion SEVEN. Petty Officer Giordani is a construction mechanic with the U.S. Navy Seabees. He works for the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force.
Senior Airman Victoria L. Drefs, U.S. Air Force (Armour, South Dakota)
Senior Airman Victoria L. Drefs, U.S. Air Force, deployed to Kyrgyzstan with the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing. Senior Airman Drefs distributes aircraft fuel to airframes providing direct support to aerial refueling operations. She also ensures aircraft fuel is tested and meets proper specifications.
Airman First Class Thomas A. "Adam" Everett, U.S. Air Force (Summerville, Georgia)
Airman First Class Thomas A. "Adam" Everett, U.S. Air Force, deployed with 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. Airman Everett provides security for tactical airlift aircraft, aircrew and passengers during and in between missions.
Petty Officer Third Class James Nichols, U.S. Coast Guard, deployed to Barbers Points, Hawaii. Petty Officer Nichols serves as an aviation electrician and Aircrew member.
Seaman Michael "Mike" Manning, U.S. Coast Guard, (Mesa, Arizona)
Seaman Michael "Mike" Manning, U.S. Coast Guard, deployed to Attu, Alaska. Seaman Manning serves as a watch-stander in the engineering department.
Sergeant Shannon M. Dyer, U.S. Army Reserve, (Redlands, California)
Sergeant Shannon M. Dyer, U.S. Army Reserve, deployed to Orangeburg, New York, assigned to Police Transition Team in Iraq. Sergeant Dyer is responsible for training Iraqi police in their administrative and security duties. This is Sergeant Dyer's second assignment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, Americans gather with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving. This holiday season is a time of fellowship and peace. And it is a time to give thanks for our many blessings.
During this holiday season, we give thanks for generations of Americans who overcame hardships to create and sustain a free Nation. When the Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving nearly four centuries ago, they had already suffered through a harsh and bitter winter. But they were willing to endure that adversity to live in a land where they could worship the Almighty without persecution. When President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, the United States was in the midst of a terrible civil war. But in that hour of trial he gave thanks -- because he believed America would weather the storm and emerge into a new era of liberty.
During this holiday season, we give thanks for those who defend our freedom. America's men and women in uniform deserve our highest respect -- and so do the families who love and support them. Lately, I have been asked what I will miss about the presidency. And my answer is that I will miss being the Commander-in-Chief of these brave warriors. In this special time of year, when many of them are serving in distant lands, they are in the thoughts and prayers of all Americans.
During this holiday season, we give thanks for the kindness of citizens throughout our Nation. It is a testament to the goodness of our people that on Thanksgiving, millions of Americans reach out to those who have little. The true spirit of the holidays can be seen in the generous volunteers who bring comfort to the poor and the sick and the elderly. These men and women are selfless members of our Nation's armies of compassion -- and they make our country a better place, one heart and one soul at a time.
Finally, I have a special note of thanks to the American people. On this, my last Thanksgiving as your President, I am thankful for the good will, kind words, and heartfelt prayers that so many of you have offered me during the past eight years. I have been blessed to represent such decent, brave, and caring people. For that, I will always be grateful, and I will always be honored. Thank you for listening.
I will miss this man!!. He has faced more challenges during his presidency than the number of years BHO has been alive.
May God Bless GWB and the USA...
Happy Thanksgiving to you too, daisyscarlett!
I will miss him too, LB.
I think many will before too long.
Noone has ever heard me say anything against the man. I like our President and will be forever grateful he was in the Office at the time of the 9/11 attacks.
We owe so much to he and others who, under his watch, have protected us from further attacks on U.S. soil.
I know many people think ill of the man, but I am not among them.
God Bless America and God Bless George W. Bush.
I’m pretty sure that’s “FreeRepublic” up on the President’s computer, no?
LOL ;)
You are first today and win the Thanksgiving toaster.
LOL. Made my day :)
Stay off this thread. Thank you.
Paul and his girlfriend are coming over to fix our Turkey Day Dinner tomorrow. I got out of the hospital at 1:30 today, and I'm doing pretty well. Chest hurts a little from the tracheal tube they used on me during the Ablation procedure, and I'm feeling tired, but I don't have the pain in my groin like I did when I had the Cardiac Catheterization last December. Apparently for this procedure, instead of putting the catheters in an artery, they put 5 catheters in 5 different veins. They don't hurt at all!
So thanks, everyone for the prayers. I was at peace going into it, and I'm sure that helped.
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