Chapter 985 members, happy 4th of July to all of you!
I have had a number of young soldiers ask me today how many times I have been deployed on the 4th of July. I have been deployed so many times I have no idea what the correct answer is, but hopefully they all left with a different perspective on serving their country. After all, what could possibly be more liberating than spending our Independence Day directly supporting the fight for freedom, in the service of our country.
My day was humbling, as I sat in the operations center, and suddenly heard a young Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) yelling across the radio that a group of Afghan police were completely surrounded and under heavy attack. Throughout the day, this young Airman called for air support and detailed their struggle to link up with the police and drive back the attack. His calls were chilling and I could hear non-stop gunfire in every call. It made me think of recent Air Force heroes, like Jason Cunningham and John Chapman who gave their lives in 2003, supporting the same freedoms this young man was supporting today. I see those very names on the Wall of Heroes every day when I go to work, along with the Green Berets, SEALs, and Marines our Airmen have fought and died alongside.
Today wasn’t a day to lament about being away from home. It was a day to be proud to see our flag waiving in the summer breeze. A great day to see (or hear) an Airman push his way through an 8-hour firefight to reach a group of Afghan police so he could help reinforce them. Not for oil, or for money, but for their freedom and safety. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be on the 4th of July. After all, where else could I get a flag certificate that says “This flag was flown in the face of the enemy on (my location), Afghanistan, on 4 July, 2009.”
May God continue to bless us with great warriors, in all branches of service. I thank each and every one of you for your service, past or present. Each of you is a hero in my book.
Humbly,
Bryan Thompson
