Here Come the Holidays

Here it is closing in on Christmas, then New Year's eve and we're into a brand new year. New president, new hopes for economic growth and peace on the planet. It all makes my head hurt. The holiday season gives me plenty of time to contemplate how things went and how they might go next year; those are not things I particularly want to think about, but there you go.

I know that you will have time for thought as well and I hope that you will give some thought to the future of our wounded warriors. As of last week there were more than thirty thousand soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines that have been wounded in action in Iraq. Some of their injuries were devastating, and life changing. What I'd like to ask of you is to remind your congressman and senators how important it is that we take care of these courageous men and women. About one third of the wounded were injured badly enough to be evacuated by air for medical treatment. Here are the detailed numbers if you're interested - click here.

The future for these heroes is going to require that we step up and help in any way that we can. Helping can take many forms, I think the most important thing is to let them know that they're not forgotten. America Supports You is a web site - click here - that provides information on the many ways you can help, if only to send a card. And remember this shouldn't be just a Christmas effort, many of these guys are going to need our support for a long time.

Taking care of our soldiers has to be recognized as an issue that is completely separate from your political views about the Global War on Terrorism. Soldiers don't make decisions about where to fight or who to fight, soldiers volunteer to protect you and I at sometimes a very high price. Thank a soldier for their sacrifice whenever you see them.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah to all my friends.