Kay Hagan: “just a few months ago I spoke on the Senate floor about the men and women of our Armed Forces who are deployed overseas.…”

“just a few months ago I spoke on the Senate floor about the men and women of our Armed Forces who are deployed overseas. Particularly, I spoke about remembering the men and women who give selflessly of themselves, who died for the good of our Nation; these souls who live lives illuminated by purpose and who travel long roads paved with sacrifice. They are the important 1 percent, the tiny fraction who go wherever in the world our country asks them to go, who honorably shoulder the burden of fear and sacrifice for the rest of us because they love this country and believe in defending it. Today, as we prepare to celebrate the holiday season with our family and loved ones, I once again wish to ask each and every one of my colleagues to remember these men and women, these great souls whose belief in this country is so great they willingly and without qualification put life and limb on the line so that 99 percent of us don't have to spend our days and nights wondering if our loved ones are safe. Remember that we are still a nation at war, that there are over 170,000 members of our Armed Forces deployed, many of them in harm's way, and many of them are from my home State of North Carolina. This year these deployed servicemembers will not be celebrating with those near and dear to them because they will be on watch protecting the very freedoms and the way of life we hold so dear.…”