Easter is a Christian holiday that, in part, celebrates hope - hope for the future.

The men and women of our military fight to give us hope for the future as well - it is called Freedom. Because we have freedom we have the opportunity to provide a better life for our children and grandchildren. Freedom allows us the ability to become whatever we want to be in life whether it be a doctor, firefighter, or autobody repairman. Freedom gives us the right to choose how our life should be lived.

On April 9, 2003, the United States Armed Forces along with the Multi-National Forces liberated Baghdad from the reign of Saddam Hussein. He reigned with terror. On April 9 we saw on the television the people of Baghdad tearing down the statue of Saddam. It has been a challenging 5 years for the Iraqi people and our Armed Forces. Thru the surge and new strategy of the past year, the people of Iraq have begun to enjoy the freedom that allows them to hope for the future. Hope that their children will never know the terror of the past.

April 9 is a day to celebrate the Liberation of the people of Iraq. In celebrating their freedom, we honor all those who served and laid down their lives to make it happen. We honor those who chose others before self. A special Celebration will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on April 9 including the families of the Iraq and Afghanistan Fallen Heroes laid to rest at Arlington. In addition, we would like everyone across the nation to honk their car horns or ring their church bells at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (2:00 pm Pacific).

Share this message with everyone you know and on April 9, 2008 at 5:00 pm EST let us all celebrate hope and let Freedom Ring throughout our country and our world!

LETTERS FROM THE FRONT

As part of the Iraq Liberation Day Celebration, we would like to post a series of Letters from the Front. We ask families with deployed soldiers to send us letters that share the changes that have taken place in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. These should be written by heroes currently or recently deployed. Letters can be sent to: merrilee@familiesunitedmission.com with “From the Front” in the subject line. We hope t o read one of these letters during our celebration at Arlington National Cemetery. Other letters will be posted on the blog. Reminder that these letters need to be written to protect the privacy and mission that continues in Iraq while still sharing the good news of the changes that have been affected.

Vets for Freedom Heroes Tour

The Vets for Freedom Heroes Tour is beginning the second stage of the tour in Minnesota on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 with stops in Forest Lake and St. Paul. The tour will continue thru Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, and then work its way up to Washington, D.C. and New York.

As part of the tour, Vets for Freedom is highlighting the accomplishments of the men and women of our Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Join them on the tour and show your support. Visit www.vetsforfreedom.org for the up-to-date tour schedule.

PRO-ACTIVE RESPONSE TO RECRUITING CENTER PROTESTS

As part of our Pro-Active response to the continued protesting done at Recruiting Centers across the country, Families United would like all our members to contact their local Recruiting Center on the first Wednesday of each Month - This would be April 2. We encourage you to stop in and say hello on a regular basis and thank them for their service. Without their service to our country - there would be no military. They need our support as much as the heroes on the front lines do!

We have found that our responses to the protests only gives the protestors more media publicity and therefore defeats our cause of proud support of our military. Let us do all in our power to ensure those serving on the home front know we stand beside them!

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Regional Leaders met in Washington, D.C. March 13-16, and made great progress towards the further development of Families United. A State Leadership Conference is being planned for April 8-13, pending funding.

As part of the Leadership Conference, we participated in the Eagles Muster and March on Saturday March 15. It was a great event. During the final event moments, an Apache Indian veteran did a sacred ceremony honoring the fallen heroes. During the ceremony a lone eagle circled overhead. We were all moved by the moment.

WHAT’S IN A NUMBER?

With sadness, we recognize that the number of casualties in the War on Terror is soon to reach 4000. It is important that our voices are heard regarding this “milestone”. Fallen Hero number 1 is equally cherished, honored and important as is number 4000. These heroes need to be honored not marked as a milestone. We do not wish to be at war, but we must defend our country. The media, in its wish to show how bad this war is, will be making extra “noise” about hero number 4000. We encourage everyone to be proactive in responding to media and share the honor of our heroes - fallen, deployed and veteran. They are our nations greate st asset!