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Thank you for your wonderful, inspiring tribute, Kathy.
I just returned from a Conservative Leaders conference at the Broadmoor hotel in Co. Springs. (I know, I know. It was quite the accommodations).
This is a yearly retreat for those of us in our state who still believe in the principles set forth by our country’s founders and the values of Capitalism and the free market.
Bill Kristol spoke as well as Michelle Malkin and Jonah Goldberg. The most moving presenter was Brigitte Gabriel, an author, journalist and renowned terrorism expert whose latest book, “They Must be Stopped”, underlines the frightening power of radical Islam in our world and how it abuses our democracy in the name of religion.
She was absolutely riveting, speaking from personal experience as a Christian Muslim growing up in Lebanon and eventually fleeing to safety in Israel with her family.
She dedicates some moving passages to our military. I would like to share them with you:
“Words tremble on my lips and emotions swell in my heart in my attempt to humbly thank you for all the things you do to protect America and the world. Words cannot express my depth of gratitude to your service, to your sacrifice, to all that you leave behind to go forth in the world and protect America’s interests around the globe.
Let my grateful tears thank you for the nights you slept freezing in a tent or sweating in the desert, for the lonely days you spent without someone holding your hand, for the moments of sheer fright in the heart of battle, for the wounds you have suffered fighting evil, for the endless days in hospitals undergoing painful surgeries, for the precious occasions you missed back at thome. For all of these sacrifices, I thank you on behalf of millions of Americans who are so grateful for you. We truly appreciate these sacrifices.
A special thank you is in order to your families, to the parents who raised you and made you be the man or woman you are today. I thank your wives, husbands, and your loved ones who stand by you and support you with their love and dedication.
And for those who returned in eternal sleep, may your legacy be honored for generations to come, may the tears shed over your coffins fertilize the fields of patriotism in our nation to raise a new generation built on strength and honor, able and willing to follow in your footsteps when duty calls to defenc America. May your blood not have been shed in vain. May we prove worthy of your sacrifice. May we honor your parents so they will always know that they are the parents of an American hero.
You are our brave ones, our heroes, and our national treasures. You are the pride of our nation, our strength and our foundation. Thanks to you, millions have been freed around the world. Thanks to you, those who criticize our country, burn our precious flag, and speak ill of you, are able to do so because their freedom is built upon your blood and your sacrifice.
I salute you one and all. I bow before you in respect and humility. May God bless you and bless America, land of the free and home of the brave, and the dream that became my address.”
Brigitte Gabriel