Dear John,
On this Thanksgiving Day, I reflect on our many blessings and freedoms, and praise God we live in the greatest country in the world. No matter where you reside or who you are with this holiday season, our family, faith, and freedoms remain intact, thanks to the thousands of U.S. service members here at home and abroad. It is because of them that we are able to sleep at night, knowing our rights and liberties are protected from those who don’t agree with us.
Let us also remember the thousands of servicemembers who paid the ultimate price, including Corporal Daegen Page from Omaha, who was one of the 13 service men and women we lost during the Afghanistan withdrawal. To this day, their mission continues, and our nation is safer because of them. I salute and thank the thousands of servicemembers who are currently deployed, and I reflect on the times when I also was deployed and away from family.
This picture is of the 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron (EECS), a unit I led 19 years ago. On Thanksgiving Day, we landed in Qatar and deployed for six months. We were among the first units to arrive in preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom. It’s a similar story that thousands upon thousands of veterans can also tell.
The 41st EECS was officially inactivated on September 28, 2021, after almost 20 years of providing continual airborne electronic combat support to the region. The Squadron conducted crucial electronic warfare, disrupting the enemy’s ability to command and control their forces by attacking their communication networks. They patrolled the skies of Afghanistan on the last night of evacuations, ensuring the safety of withdrawing all U.S. forces.
I commend these professional, highly skilled Airmen. They truly are a force to be reckoned with. I wish all current and former 41st EECS Airmen and all servicemembers a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope they enjoy spending time with their loved ones—they have earned it.
Further, our first responders and medical professionals all have their own experiences of working over the holidays. Every day and every holiday, they work long shifts, and are always on call ready to respond in a moment’s notice. We thank each one of them for our safety, for our freedoms, and for the great opportunities that this country offers all.
As always, my prayers are with you and your families. I am thankful to have the opportunity to represent you. It is my hope that we never take for granted our freedoms or the men and women fighting for them. I wish you all a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. May God Bless you all, and may God Bless America.”
Photo By Master Sgt. Wolfram Stumpf | U.S. Air Force members of the 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, pose for a final group photo after the squadron’s inactivation ceremony, at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, Sept 28, 2021.
