This Independence Day we celebrate our Nation's 234th birthday and honor the legacy of our founding fathers. Pioneers like Presidents Washington and Jefferson set a young Nation on a course for democracy guided by the values of liberty and justice that have shaped our national character. As we pay tribute to the past, we must also look to the future and face the challenges of the 21st century.
Today, as throughout our history, the proud Warrior-Citizens of America's Army Reserve are helping to meet these challenges head-on as well as demonstrating our country's firm resolve. Through your actions on the battlefield, you have earned the liberties enjoyed by all Americans. I am extremely proud of your service and share that pride with all Americans and freedom-loving people everywhere.
For those of you who are deployed and who continue to take the fight to the enemy in the high plains of Afghanistan or the deserts of Iraq, know that what you are doing in defense of this great nation is in keeping with the spirit of Independence Day. For those who are on the home front, your vigilance, courage and sacrifice provide us the opportunity to live in a free society. The sacrifices you endure serves notice to terrorists and those who threaten the vision of our Nation's founders that those who don the uniform of America's Armed Forces, in the words of President John F. Kennedy, will, "pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, and oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty and justice."
Across America, as family and friends gather to celebrate the freedoms we all enjoy, remember those who make this patriotic holiday possible. This is our opportunity to focus on our families and appreciate their sacrifices and contributions to the liberties we hold so dear.
My wife, Laura, and I thank you and your Families for your selfless, dedicated service and for ensuring the continued security of our Nation. May God bless you, your Families, and our beloved homeland.
JACK C. STULTZ
Lieutenant General, US Army
Chief, Army Reserve
