Hi, this is Delaware Governor Jack Markell, and I am recording this from Afghanistan where I have come to thank the members of the Delaware National Guard and other Delawareans who are serving here for their extraordinary efforts here in Afghanistan.

I stopped in Kuwait along the way and met some folks from Delaware there as well.

So far on my visit, the most eye-opening thing for me was to see was a soldier who had literally just a couple hours before I got to the hospital at the Bagram Air Base had come in having lost his legs.

This is the world that tens of thousands of American soldiers are working in – in Afghanistan. This is dangerous work and they are owed our incredible gratitude for the work they are doing on our behalf.

I look forward to coming back home, and to telling more of you personally about the extraordinary work of the hundreds of people from Delaware in the National Guard and the other Delawareans who are here as well.  It’s important, you know, sometimes we go about our daily lives back home and you might read about what’s going on in Iraq and Afghanistan in the newspapers, see something on TV, but may not really think about it.

We have to remember these are our neighbors, they’re our friends. These are the people that we live with and they’re working so hard, fighting hard, for us. Let’s be sure we thank them. And when they come home and we have the chance, let’s hire them as well. Let’s do what we can to put our vets back to work. Thank you all.   I look forward to seeing you back in Delaware.

Print