Through the last 200 years of our nation's history, it has been necessary on all too many occasions for Americans to take up arms and fight for the principles which we hold so dear. In every one of those conflicts, military personnel have fought and died so that the rest of us could have a better existence and the freedom to enjoy it. From the colonial and revolutionary periods onward, they have done so with dignity, with honor, with intensity, and with success. From more than 500,000 bloody casualties of our own Civil War, to the unfortunate souls taken to the bottom of Pearl Harbor with the USS Arizona, to those who raised our nation's flag on the island of Iwo Jima, and to the thousands who helped free Kuwait as a result of Desert Storm—we owe them all a great debt of gratitude.

Their efforts and their sacrifices have not been just to benefit those of us fortunate enough to have been born and raised here in the United States, but rather to benefit people from across the entire world. In this country, we have been blessed with a geographic situation that has usually provided generous protection from the aggressions of others. But many other nations are not as fortunate and have frequently required assistance in order to maintain whatever freedom they might enjoy. Our country, led by our military forces, has always been ready to assist when necessary. Occasionally, we have experienced serious debate and strong difference of opinion regarding the wisdom of our military assistance in other parts of the world, but one has only to consider the reality of life in other areas to realize why it is so necessary that we help.

I know, for instance, a young lady named Michelle. She is in her mid-20s and lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina. Last summer, she told me she was going back to visit her family in Laos. I asked if they had had a chance to visit her here, and she replied, "Oh, they can't come here. They can't get out. I escaped when I was 12. A helicopter picked me up, and there was a lot of shooting, but they missed." She still feels true amazement at the idea of being a citizen in a country where you can state your opinion, whatever it might be, and even severely criticize your government and its leaders, yet have no fear of personal retribution.

We have this freedom because of the men and women who have taken to the field, fired weapons, flown planes, manned our ships or, maybe less conspicuously but just as importantly, filed forms in an office, tended to equipment and supplies, or simply saw to it that our service personnel were fed and clothed. The men and women of our military forces—the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard—are the very backbone of what makes this country great. They protect us from vicious forces without, keep us safe, and insure our ability to live in a society where we truly are able to enjoy the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

They have fought and died in defense of our Constitution, our nation's flag, and the principles upon which this country was founded. That those same resources continue to be available to assist other peoples who have come under the grinding fist of oppression is a tribute to all the citizens of the United States who have been so willing over the years to assist in humanitarian efforts, wherever needed.

To those who have given of themselves and of their lives and to each who has worn the uniform of the United States military, so many of them Masons, I know I speak for millions of people, in America and around the globe, when I say, from the bottom of my heart and the depths of my consciousness, WE THANK YOU! May God bless each and every one of you!

William B. Brunk was raised a Master Mason in Hiram Lodge No. 40, Raleigh, N.C., in 1980, served his Lodge as Master in 1986, and was elected Grand Master of North Carolina in 1994. A member of the Valley of Raleigh since 1984, Illustrious Brunk was recognized for his many services to the Rite by being invested with the K.C.C.H. in 1989, coroneted a 33° in 1993, appointed Deputy of N.C., and then elected S.G.I.G. at the 1999 Biennial Session. An active member of many Masonic Bodies, including the York Rite, Shrine, Royal Order of Jesters, Eastern Star, Red Cross of Constantine, and Royal Order of Scotland, Ill. Brunk specializes in orthodontics in Raleigh and served as president of the North Carolina Association of Orthodontics in 1994. In recognition of his lifelong civic contributions, two Governors of North Carolina, James B Hunt in 1993 and James G. Martin in 1992, presented him the Outstanding Individual Volunteer Service Award.