About
Frank Salvato
Frank Salvato is the Executive Director and Director of
Terrorism Research for
BasicsProject.org a non-profit,
non-partisan, 501(c)(3) research and education initiative. His
writing has been recognized by the US House International
Relations Committee and the Japan Center for Conflict
Prevention. His organization partnered in producing the original
national symposium series addressing the root causes of radical
Islamist terrorism. He is a member of the
International Analyst Network. He serves as the managing editor for The New
Media Journal. Mr. Salvato has appeared on The O'Reilly Factor
on FOX News Channel and is a regular guest on talk radio
including on The Right Balance with Greg Allen on the Accent
Radio Network and on The Captain's America Radio Show catering
to the US Armed Forces around the world. His opinion-editorials
have been published by The American Enterprise Institute, The
Washington Times & Human Events and are syndicated nationally.
He is occasionally quoted in The Federalist. Mr. Salvato is
available for public speaking engagements.
Frank Salvato,
Managing Editor
A Cornucopia of Gratitude November 26, 2008
As we enter the holiday season we will
begin to hear a lot about kindness and appreciation. Sure, there will be
the mental midgets who need to take issue with holiday displays and
transmitted sentiments (we should really pity their stunted intellect as
they celebrate their generic event) but for the most part we will begin
to hear quite a bit about giving thanks, peace on earth, goodwill,
brotherhood, sharing and sacrifice. This is the season of hope and while
certain political opportunists incessantly try to franchise that word,
for all their efforts, they are included in this joyous season as well.
I could go on to explain what it is I am thankful for this holiday
season but truth be told, I am grateful for all I have each and every
day of my life. I celebrate my family and friends and I give thanks for
what I have and the opportunities that are presented to me. I am
inclined to concur with an old and dear friend of mine who lives in
North Florida: If you wake-up breathing it’s a pretty good day.
No, today I want to speculate on instances of gratitude that we as a
society may be inclined to overlook, even throughout the holiday season.
There is the gratitude of the first time mother and father, who after
experiencing the disappointment of years of infertility now hold in
their arms, with the grace of God, a life that they created together.
Having never given up their dream of bringing a child into this world
they dared to believe; they dared to hope. Today they see the power of
hope in their baby’s eyes and they are thankful.
At the same time, new parents accept the gift of life through adoption
from a young woman who had the courage to understand the value of life.
As the adoptive parents give thanks for the gift of life entrusted to
them by the baby’s biological mother, she too give thanks for the loving
family that has given her baby a chance at having a life she could have
never offered. Today they too see the power of hope in the eyes of a
child.
Meanwhile, half way around the world – or perhaps not – an American
soldier walks on patrol with an Iraqi soldier in al Anbar. As they
carefully and purposefully advance down the street, the Iraqi soldier
feels a sense of gratitude that his American counterpart believed enough
in his abilities to risk his life to train him; believed enough in his
want for liberty and freedom that he would stand side-by-side, so far
away from his home and his loved ones, in fighting for the Iraqi
people’s sovereignty.
At the same time the American soldier feels a kinship and an
appreciation for his Iraqi counterpart. He knows that by investing his
trust and expertise in the people of Iraq – and this individual in
particular – he has facilitated the creation of a society that values
liberty and freedom for all men, everywhere, while shaping a warrior who
would stave off tyranny. Both soldiers, both warriors, are empowered
with hope for a better future for both lands, both peoples, a better
future for the world.
And there is the volunteer who trades time spent with her family and
friends on Thanksgivings, Christmases and many more days throughout the
year so that she can reach out to a senior citizen who lives alone with
no family to call. She celebrates her appreciation for a life spent
being a mother, a father, a son, a daughter...a friend. She celebrates
her appreciation for being alive by helping another to feel
alive. And the senior gives thanks for being appreciated, for being
valued, for not being forgotten. She gives thanks for a friend and
someone who cares. Both the volunteer and the senior feel the hope that
kindness affords.
There are the police officers who give thanks for the good people from
their communities that appreciate the often thankless job they have in
protecting and serving. And there are the firefighters and paramedics
that give thanks that another life has been saved and another house full
of priceless memories preserved. These public servants, who accept that
each kiss they get from their spouses, each hug they get from their
children, each approving look they receive from their families, that
each of these could be the last, they understand the full importance of
hope.
I could go on and on depicting true to life scenarios that we seldom
think about when we are sitting around our dinner tables with family and
friends, when one of our family members asks, innocently enough, “What
are you thankful for this holiday season?”
What would be even better is if you would create some of your own.
Note:
This holiday season I give thanks for my family, my friends, for those
who protect me, for those who give of themselves and for those who
afford me liberty and freedom. I give thanks for the life that God has
given me and I give thanks for the opportunities that life has and will
present.
This holiday season, please take the time to remember those who protect,
serve and provide for all our nations citizens. Stop by the fire houses
and the police stations to say thank you. And most importantly, take the
time to write those serving our country on the field of battle and those
who have returned home after sacrificing for our liberties. Send a
Christmas card to our military men and women to let them know you care
by engaging in the American Red Cross’
Holiday Mail for Heroes Program and the
Adopt-A-Soldier Program.
