For those of us serving in the American Armed Forces family, Independence Day is a very personal holiday.
We know firsthand that protecting our country and preserving freedom comes at a heavy price.
Throughout our country’s history, military members have traveled throughout the world defending the American way of life. As the U.S. Army, our oldest military service, celebrates its 235th birthday this year, we are reminded of the long history of our armed forces and our commitment to our nation’s independence.
When our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the 1-year-old Continental Army needed to quickly change from a rabble of farmers ready for a brief revolt against the British to an organized fighting force.
Facing the highly-trained British army, the new Continental Army quickly learned to maximize every available resource to match the British on the battlefield. Using a mix of traditional European war tactics and a new kind of warfare learned from centuries of battle with Native Americans, the American revolutionaries eventually compelled the British to grant our new nation undisputed independence.
Their combination of will, resourcefulness and high discipline has stayed with the U.S. military ever since, and today we stand as the most powerful military force in the history of humankind.
Today more than 3.5 million people serve in the U.S. military, 222,000 of whom are deployed throughout 150 countries across the globe. We can be proud to serve, to protect our nation and the ideals handed down by our founding fathers.
As I plan to celebrate Independence Day with my family this year, it gives me great pleasure to serve with you, the fine men and women of the KMC. Every day, from the flightline to the chow line, you are all contributing to our country’s historic journey.
Wherever you may be while celebrating our nation’s birthday this year, I wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday.
Happy Independence Day!
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News for the Ramstein, Kaiserslautern, Landstuhl & Baumholder military communities in Germany 
For those of us serving in the American Armed Forces family, Independence Day is a very personal holiday.
We know firsthand that protecting our country and preserving freedom comes at a heavy price.
Throughout our country’s history, military members have traveled throughout the world defending the American way of life. As the U.S. Army, our oldest military service, celebrates its 235th birthday this year, we are reminded of the long history of our armed forces and our commitment to our nation’s independence.
When our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the 1-year-old Continental Army needed to quickly change from a rabble of farmers ready for a brief revolt against the British to an organized fighting force.
Facing the highly-trained British army, the new Continental Army quickly learned to maximize every available resource to match the British on the battlefield. Using a mix of traditional European war tactics and a new kind of warfare learned from centuries of battle with Native Americans, the American revolutionaries eventually compelled the British to grant our new nation undisputed independence.
Their combination of will, resourcefulness and high discipline has stayed with the U.S. military ever since, and today we stand as the most powerful military force in the history of humankind.
Today more than 3.5 million people serve in the U.S. military, 222,000 of whom are deployed throughout 150 countries across the globe. We can be proud to serve, to protect our nation and the ideals handed down by our founding fathers.
As I plan to celebrate Independence Day with my family this year, it gives me great pleasure to serve with you, the fine men and women of the KMC. Every day, from the flightline to the chow line, you are all contributing to our country’s historic journey.
Wherever you may be while celebrating our nation’s birthday this year, I wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday.
Happy Independence Day!