Director's Message

Fifteen months later, our tour would come to an end. Each of the 166 soldiers of the 94th MPs - men and women who'd met as strangers almost a year and a half earlier but had become brothers and sisters through their shared experience - would return to the open arms of family and friends in an unforgettable homecoming celebration on a hot August afternoon in 2004.

Over a thousand of our comrades would not be as fortunate. Ten times that many would return maimed by the violent machinery of battle, barely recognizable to the people they knew. Some hadn't yet seen their 20th birthdays.

Save a few injuries, every soldier from the 94th made it home in one piece. Since returning from Iraq, most of us have put the experience behind us and have settled back into our civilian lives. Some have left the military while others are preparing for another tour of duty. But for most of us, it's difficult not to revisit what we went through.

Now, when I find myself getting worked up about the foolish little problems that plague my daily life, I pause and bring myself back to the blowing sand and heat of Al Anbar—sweating through a patrol around Ramadi and Hit in our HUMVEEs, escorting a convoy through Baghdad and Baji, waiting for the next roadside bomb or burst of AK47 fire. Thoughts of “what could have been” fill my head, and immediately put things in perspective. My present troubles are decidedly less burdensome in comparison.

As professional soldiers fighting in Iraq, we were witness to the horrific effects of war on our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. Some of those we had the honor of working with would be injured by small arms fire and roadside bombs. Others would be killed in their service. As each day passed, we learned to deal with loss, and prepared ourselves for the worst in the name of liberty and freedom.

What we weren't prepared for was what we saw when we returned—the “other side” of the losses we'd seen so much of overseas. There were the moving stories of kids barely out of high school learning to walk again. There was the inspiring newspaper article about how a young female soldier was faring after losing her leg. Then there were the sobering photos of two inconsolable parents burying their son or daughter. I've never had to bury a soldier, let alone a child -I have trouble even thinking about it. The enormity of this war had hit home for me - but more importantly, so had my appreciation for the sacrifices these fine Americans had nobly offered.

Portraits of courage and selfless service, the families of those killed in combat, as well as the servicemen and women injured in this war, move on with their lives with a degree of grace and dignity I can only hope to ever possess.

Dave Bentley, Rick DiTrapano, Scott Couture, and I felt compelled to start On Behalf of a Grateful Nation, as a perpetual way to thank those military men and women—America's mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters—who have given life and limb to rid this planet of terror and oppression. And although we've since left Iraq's urban and desert battlefields, our personal commitment as veterans to those who wear the uniform, and their families, continues.

If you'd like to give something back to these valiant Americans, please consider making a cash donation to our Priority Fund. Or if you'd prefer, please feel free to offer a more personal contribution—a complimentary or discounted product or service—as part of our Grateful Nation Network. Also, we're always looking for Grateful Nation Ambassadors around the country who can help deliver donated goods to our recipients, as well as to help organize events.

Thank you so much for visiting our Web site. God bless our troops in harm's way, and God bless the United States of America.

All the best,

Michael Gifford
Director
On Behalf of a Grateful Nation, Inc.