III 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 343 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 21, 2005 Mr. Sessions submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Senate that the week of December 19, 2005 should be designated Thank Our Defenders Week.

Whereas, ever since our Nation was founded, the members of our military, soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, Coast Guard personnel, active duty, Guard, and reserve, have played a critical role protecting America's vital interests and spreading peace throughout the world; Whereas more than 193,000 troops in the Persian Gulf region are courageously fighting insurgents and helping to establish democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan; Whereas 19,000 servicemen and servicewomen are stationed in Afghanistan, fighting Al-Qaeda and providing security for the people of that fledgling nation; Whereas over 30,000 troops are protecting American interests and maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula; Whereas, in total, nearly 300,000 brave men and women are actively serving on the soil of 120 foreign countries and on the high seas, fighting terrorists and making sacrifices for American citizens and families; and Whereas, thanks to their tireless efforts, a brutal dictatorship in Iraq and an oppressive regime in Afghanistan have given way to emerging democratic societies: Now, therefore, be it

That with gratitude it is the sense of the Senate that the week of December 19, 2005 should be designated Thank Our Defenders Week.