'Tis that time of year. Summer is long gone, the school year is going strong, and the first good snowstorm is just around the corner, maybe. Some retailers have had Christmas merchandise on the shelves for weeks already. Thanksgiving officially kicks off the holiday season. In the next several weeks we will gather with family and friends to eat turkey, exchange gifts and maybe put a lampshade on our head, using New Year’s Day to settle in and nap. Then the long days of winter will descend upon us.So what are we all thankful for this year? The tremendous gift of family and friends is at the top of the list. The important people around you that care for you as you care for them. A nice home to eat a great meal in is also up there. A life that allows us the freedom to celebrate with those people in a nice house while eating good food.I am thankful for volunteers. Not the type that work in a hospital or work for a charity, as important as they are. I am thankful for those that volunteer to put on a uniform, take up arms and travel across the world in pursuit of those that would take all the good from our lives if given the opportunity.This year, as in many others, these volunteers will be gathering to go on dangerous missions, sleeping wherever they can whenever they can grab a wink and feasting on Meals Ready to Eat. There are those in the war zones, but don’t forget those at overseas bases on remote assignments. From the Korean demilitarized zone to ships on the seas, there are so many men and women that will not have a good holiday season this year. As great as the friends and comrades you serve with can be, they just don’t replace family during the holidays.Back here in the states and at bases around the world there will be too many tables with an empty spot. That spot where a parent should be, but is not. Young kids that don’t understand where dad is and why he is gone will ask that painful question and may still not comprehend the answer. Parents and spouses will see that spot and wonder when and if their loved one will be coming home.It is a rare breed that volunteers for this life. It is the persons who want to serve their country in a way that puts their very lives in danger. They are still signing up, even as we are at war, and they know they may very well end up in the combat zone. They are a special slice of America, joining so many that have gone before them.So I can say that along with my kids, my family, my friends and my life here, these volunteer heroes are what I am thankful for on Thanksgiving 2004. With all of the trouble in the world I know that I can feel safe with people like this defending our country. Godspeed to all who choose to help keep my kids safe.Curtis Hendel,Adrian
