| John,
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
For over four hundred years, Americans have celebrated a giving of thanks. Over time this tradition became a national practice and eventually a national holiday. It is a day set aside for reflecting on all the things we have to be grateful for.
At times, certainly recently, America can seem like a large version of the family where few get along (leading to interesting Thanksgiving dinners). But Thanksgiving is a day when we intend to put aside our differences and give thanks for what we have.
My experiences in the military made me mindful of this need for pause, this need for grace and gratitude. It’s not just the camaraderie I felt sharing a Thanksgiving meal with my fellow soldiers. Nor the example of senior leaders hosting younger Marines at their homes for Thanksgiving when I served in the USMC.
There is something to the idea, in action, that all service members act with a common purpose of serving this nation. From a variety of backgrounds and beliefs, our nation’s military members serve with a common purpose, dedicated to keeping the rest of us safe and prosperous.
I am thankful for all they do today, serving in hot zones, or at sea, or on live flight lines this holiday while we celebrate. I am thankful for their example; veterans are part of the connective tissue that holds us together. I am grateful to all the men and women I served alongside, and to our nation for giving me a chance to serve. Those Americans and that opportunity made me a better person. I am grateful to be an American, to be part of our ongoing journey as a nation. And I am grateful for all of you. Please remember our serving military in your thoughts and prayers of thankfulness while you enjoy this great American holiday.
With Freedom,
John Byrnes | 
