We need to show more sympathy for these people.

* They travel miles in the heat.
* They risk their lives crossing a border.
* They don't get paid enough wages.
* They do jobs that others won't do or are afraid to do.
* They live in crowded conditions among people who speak a different language.
* They rarely see their families, and they face adversity all day every day.

I'm not talking about illegal Aliens; I'm talking about American troops!  Doesn't it seem strange that many Democrats and some Republicans are willing to lavish all kinds of social benefits on illegals, but don't support the troops and are now threatening to de fund us?

Happy Thanksgiving from Iraq everyone! I hope you make the most of any time off you may get and spend it in the company of loved ones enjoying the blessings God has given you. I'm sure the members of our congress will, they get two whole weeks off during Thanksgiving, some of which I'm sure will be spent thinking of a way to force the US military to abandon our mission here. One of the things I'm thankful for? They haven't succeeded yet in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

I'm drawing close to the end of my tour here, and I just wanted to take a second to thank all my friends and family who have been so supportive over the last 6 months. You haven't been supporting a doomed cause. In my short time here I've seen some dramatic changes for the better take place, usually not long after somebody in congress says it can't be done and we should stop trying. Morale is going up as we're finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The main enemy, al-Qaeda in Iraq, has been severely weakened, and more and more Iraqis are taking up arms against them every day. The next biggest enemy, unemployment (a major fuel for insurgency), well, we're starting to tackle that too, by rebuilding infrastructure and making it safe for Iraqis to go to work. These are things I've seen, which is why I still think we should stay until we're sure the Iraqi's don't need us anymore.

I feel proud to know that 10 or 15 years down the road, Iraq isn't going to look anything like it does today, and that I had a small hand in making it a better place and an ally of America. This Thanksgiving, thousands of miles away from my loved ones, I'm thankful for family and friends who have supported me and my fellow service members, kept us in prayer, and not given up on us.

I miss my wife terribly, and she's VERY pregnant at the moment, but I'll be home soon. I'll be home for Christmas. Most of the men and women serving over here right now won't be. Tragically, some of them won't ever see home again. Which is why we need your support. We need to know you're still with us in spirit, if not in body. While we're here on foreign soil and in enemy territory, we need to know that we'll be given every advantage and backed up in every way, so we can focus on the mission and not be worried if we'll run out of toilet paper next week. Cutting our funding isn't the way to bring the troops home. Pushing us toward mission accomplishment by showing a united front is. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Love,
Nick