U.S. Troops Celebrate Thanksgiving in Iraq, Prepare for Prayer Call
Most of the more than 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq got a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey and all the trimmings at their bases on Thursday as their families, friends, and supporters kept them in their thoughts and in their prayers.
Most of the more than 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq got a traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey and all the trimmings at their bases on Thursday as their families, friends, and supporters kept them in their thoughts and in their prayers.
“Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember our many blessings and to celebrate the opportunities that freedom affords,” said President Bush on Monday when he dedicated Nov. 24, 2005 as a National Day of Thanksgiving.
“This Thanksgiving, we pray and express thanks for the men and women who work to keep America safe and secure,” the president added. “Members of our Armed Forces, State and local law enforcement, and first responders embody our Nation's highest ideals of courage and devotion to duty. Our country is grateful for their service and for the support and sacrifice of their families.”
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U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who visited American troops in Baghdad on Thursday, noted how Iraq is “such an important place in the world.”
“What happens in Iraq will determine and shape the future of the Middle East," Khalilzad said, according to the Associated Press. "Being away on a day like this is a huge sacrifice, but a sacrifice for a good cause."
While some troops think about what they might be doing if they were back home, others will be connecting home via prayer. Through Pray Live (www.praylive.com), a non-denominational not for profit organization, troops can join their family, friends, and supporters in prayer thereby helping troops “feel closer to home and spiritually fed.”
“We know what it’s like to be away from home and certainly during Thanksgiving,” said Pray Live founder Wenda Royster during a public gathering on Nov. 22 announcing the prayer call. “Our young men and women are fighting a war very far away from home on Thanksgiving.”
To help fill in the gap, Baltimore-based Pray Live will be holding an interactive prayer call on Thanksgiving Day at 2 p.m. EST through a toll free national number that will unite members of the armed forces, their families and all who wish to show their support.
"If there was ever a time to gather around our troops and their families and support them with prayer, it's now," said Royster in a released statement.
"It is our hope that hearing their families pray for and with them on Pray Live will take away some of the sting of being so far away from home this Thanksgiving," she added.
To join the interactive prayer call, dial 888-PRAYLIVE, enter the passcode “PRAY” or 7729 followed by “#.”
