I was very surprised to open a huge box this evening containing a Keurig coffeemaker. My guys and I are completely overwhelmed. And holy jelly beans! Those are being devoured as I write this. We are grateful or the coffeemaker. We are grateful for the jelly beans. However, what we are most grateful for are people such as yourselves. Soldiers learn many things during their service. Whether it be three or four years, or over twelve for those such as myself, we learn how to define ourselves. We learn how to push ourselves, sacrificing ourselves for our brothers, and for our people at home. We learn to love our country. We also learn a lot about other people. We see the yellow ribbon magnets, politicians speaking in support of the military. However, it is far more rare to see action behind words. What you do makes a much more significant impact than you may realize. For a Soldier struggling on a deployment, such an act of generous support can help turn the tide. For all of us, it’s heartwarming to know that it is not an act of patriotism – such a sentiment can be seasonal and fleeting – but an act by Patriots. We all know that the war here isn’t “popular” anymore. The majority of Americans are tired of hearing about it. That is certainly their right and their prerogative. But for you, and those like you, we say thank you — and we mean it. None of us signed up for some pseudo-celebrity status, but because of a belief that we must stand for our country, its constitution, and its people. We do it out of a sense of service and duty. We see the same ideals in you and it’s more than comforting to know that you have our backs. We are humbled. So, from (redacted unit – location) “RAKKASANS!”, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), we send a heartfelt thank you. Your generosity, your moral support, and sense of civic duty has made a bunch of well trained hooligans that much more of a threat to our nation’s enemies. If in Napoleon’s era, an army marched on its stomach, then I think it is most accurate to say that ours fights on caffeine.