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WASHINGTON – The commander of the nation’s premier Joint Base urged the military, civilian and contracted workers, residents and their families to take time this weekend to consider the leadership and sacrifice of the nation’s forefathers.
Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Commander, Navy Capt. Anthony T. Calandra, said, “We owe our founding fathers [and of course, mothers] a great deal for the path they have paved. We have been blessed with great leaders!”
“With the cold weather and snowfalls, it was a tough week and it's been a tough year so far. This weekend, I hope everyone gets a well-deserved rest. But please, take time to remember those great leaders who have gone before us and blazed the trail to our nation's greatness,” Calandra urged.
Referencing a YouTube video, Calandra reflected, “It points out how rich, powerful and well off our country really is. The basic premise is, that we should be thankful for what we have and we should continue to give back in ways that only America can.”
Individual Americans give more of their wealth away, per capita, than any other nation - Three times as much, per capita, than the number two nation, Calandra said.
“The United State ranks dead last in child poverty. That may be very difficult to believe for all those families out there who are just scraping by to keep a roof over their heads. And, I realize that it provides no comfort to the multitude of homeless children right here in our nation’s capital. Still, we have been blessed! And the YouTube video pretty much shows just how blessed we are.”
“Did you ever wonder where all this wealth and success came from? Hard work? Natural resources? Ingenuity? Diversity? Of course. But, have you ever considered the leadership and sacrifice of our fore fathers?” Calandra asked.
Calandra reminded military personnel at JBAB that as warfighters, they may be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
“We signed up for it! But, imagine instead of getting a paycheck, you had to pay your own way into battle. Imagine you were asked to not only sacrifice yourself, but your property too; your family? Hard to even imagine, yet that is what many of our leaders did to make us great.”
In his closing remarks, Calandra encouraged personnel to take time to visit the monuments in Washington and in nearby Mount Vernon, dedicated to the founding fathers.
“The monuments downtown are always free. This weekend, Mount Vernon is offering free admission to celebrate the birth of the father of our nation. It's 25 minutes down the road and serviced by mass transit from the city. Go to www.mountvernon.org for a host of activities celebrating General George Washington's birthday,” Calandra said.
“Have a great weekend! God keep Blessing America!” Calandra concluded.
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.14.2014 20:05 |
| Story ID: | 120677 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, AL, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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