Yesterday signaled the completion of the Iraqi elections. Insurgents still try to deter the fledgling ideas of democracy. They do not realize the nature of freedom comes from within a soul and once freed, can never be caged again. I watched with a new sense of wonder, the birth of a free nation. So different that the United States beginnings in some ways, yet the basic desire is the same, to live as a free people making choices and living with the rights and hope we have come to enjoy here. The new government will undergo growing pains and changes, but the core value of a renewed life will drive them on.
Many died attempting to cast a ballot. Many United States soldiers have given their lives to this call. I wonder how many Americans, living a life full of the benefits our great nation provides us, would vote in an election if they knew they might die if they attempted a trip to the polling center? How many of us would lay down our lives to protect this country? How many of us would put ourselves in harms way in another’s battle?
Today, I celebrate the Iraqi people and their courage. I pray for their determination to see through the challenges they will encounter in the formation of their new government. Mostly, I honor the efforts of our United States service people who have put themselves in the way of deterrents to offer this country their chance at growing a life such as we have. These service people work extremely hard and are often not only not recognized, but forgotten by this country for their efforts on the behalf of us all. We need to remember they are there so that we, too, are free.
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