Mary Fallin: “With Memorial Day right around the corner, now is the time to reflect upon the courage, the dedication and the…”

“With Memorial Day right around the corner, now is the time to reflect upon the courage, the dedication and the patriotism personified by the men and the women in our Armed Forces. I know many Americans will stop this weekend and will thank a veteran in their family or in their community for their service to our Nation. They may meet a young soldier back from a tour of duty in Iraq and may quietly just thank God that we are born in a Nation where freedom is valued and fought for. In our modern military, it is becoming increasingly likely that a returning soldier is a woman, and while men still outnumber women in the Armed Forces, military service is no longer a career choice for men only. Today, there are more women than ever choosing to serve their country. They are pilots, engineers, commanders of ships, military police, and nurses. Deployed in two different theaters, women are playing a vital role in our war efforts. Now more than 185,000 women have been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and in other missions since 2001. Since its inception, women have played a vital role in defending our Nation and its freedoms.”