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Health & Fitness

An Empty Chair

Families and friends will be coming together for Thanksgiving dinner, but there are many families that have loved ones who will not be able to join them for the feast.

As we gather with our family and friends for a Thanksgiving feast, let's remember the families whose loved ones are serving our great country in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. An empty chair at the table is their reminder of a loved one's selfless service to our great country.

That empty chair represents a man or woman that volunteered to put themselves in harms way to make the world a safer and better place for their fellow Americans, and for future generations.

On Thanksgiving Day, many deployed and stateside service members will be coming together at dining facilities, tents, and in the field, to celebrate and make the most of a holiday that brings families together, even though they must be so far away from their own.

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That empty chair also represents a man or woman that didn't make it home from their deployment, and that chair will forever remain vacant.  

Support for our troops extends far beyond all the things in this country that may divide us. If there is one thing that we can all stand behind and bring us together, it would be the love for the people who are serving and have served our country. This Thanksgiving, please take a moment and give thanks for all you have, the people who, regardless of the date, are protecting and serving the United States of America, and the families that will have an empty chair at their table.

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