The American soldier serves for all of us
TOM REYNOLDS Congressman 26th District
As Western New Yorkers enjoy the long-awaited unofficial start to summer this Memorial Day week, with its annual traditions of picnics, barbecues and parades, we also pause to remember and honor those who fought and died for our freedom.

At the forefront of our hearts this year are also those, many from Western New York, who are fighting and standing guard today in Afghanistan and Iraq. This week and in the months ahead, the debate about the importance and the management of the war in Iraq will continue at our dinner tables, on our television screens and in the halls of Congress, and it should.

But I can report from our nation's capital that while the debate about how we best fight the war on terror goes on, there is no debate and no dispute about the valor of the American soldier.

It seems Americans are always being told they are divided. We are separated into red and blue states and then told we are too different to agree.

Yet Memorial Day reminds us of who Americans are and what they can be. The American soldier does not serve for red states or blue states or for Republicans or Democrats, but serves for all of us and sacrifices everything for our collective ideals and shared hopes.

This holiday, we all come together to humbly say "thank you" for that service and the example these men and women from all parts of the country and from all walks of life have given us. They have shown us what it means to serve a cause greater than self and to dedicate a life to making a country and a people stronger.

In honoring them, we rise above our divisions and speak as one, as Americans.

To let the troops who serve today hear all of our support and to honor their brethren who have fallen in service, there are many simple and meaningful ways Western New Yorkers can reach out and say "thank you."

The U.S. military has set up a one-stop Web site where you can send a care package to a soldier, donate airline miles to help returning soldiers reunite with their families, purchase gift certificates or phone cards for service members to enjoy, support a veteran scholarship fund or simply send a message to the troops thanking them for their service. The Web site www.americasupportsyou.mil brings together more than 150 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping our soldiers and their families.

I encourage all Western New Yorkers to take a moment to visit the site and lift the hearts of those who have parted with family, friends and hometowns to serve their country and defend freedom abroad.

As we enjoy the warmer weather and the backyard gatherings and ballgames that come this time of year, let's also remember the troops who serve every day, those who have returned home safely and those who have passed on. In distant lands, they have given all they have to give and shown Americans all America can be.

For their service and their sacrifice, this Memorial Day we all say, humbly and sincerely, "thank you."