[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 52 (Monday, January 1, 2007)]
[Pages 2207-2208]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

December 23, 2006

    Good morning. As families across our Nation gather to celebrate 
Christmas, Laura and I send our best wishes for the holidays. We hope 
that your Christmas will be blessed with family and fellowship.
    At this special time of year, we give thanks for Christ's message of 
love and hope. Christmas reminds us that we have a duty to others, and 
we see that sense of duty fulfilled in the men and women who wear our 
Nation's uniform. America is blessed to have fine citizens who volunteer 
to defend us in distant lands. For many of them, this Christmas will be 
spent far from home, and on Christmas our Nation honors their sacrifice 
and thanks them for all they do to defend our freedom.
    At Christmas, we also recognize the sacrifice of our Nation's 
military families. Staying behind when a family member goes to war is a 
heavy burden, and it is particularly hard during the holidays. To all 
our military families listening today, Laura and I thank you, and we ask 
the Almighty to bestow His protection and care on your loved ones as 
they protect our Nation.
    This Christmas season comes at a time of change here in our Nation's 
Capital--with a new Congress set to arrive, a review of our Iraq 
strategy underway, and a new Secretary of Defense taking office. If 
you're serving on the frontlines halfway across the world, it is natural 
to wonder what all this means for you. I want our troops to know that 
while the coming year will bring change, one thing will not change, and 
that is our Nation's support for you and the vital work you do to 
achieve a victory in Iraq. The American people are keeping you in our 
thoughts and prayers, and we will make sure you have the resources you 
need to accomplish your mission.
    This Christmas, millions of Americans are coming together to show 
our deployed forces and wounded warriors love and support. Patriotic 
groups and charities all across America are sending gifts and care 
packages to our service men and women, visiting our troops recovering at 
military hospitals, reaching out to children whose moms and dads are 
serving abroad, and going to airports to welcome our troops home and to 
let them know they are appreciated by a grateful nation.
    One man who's making a difference this holiday season is Jim 
Wareing. Jim is the founder of New England Caring for Our Military. This 
year, Jim helped organize a gift drive by thousands of students from 
Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Students from kindergarten to high 
school collected more than 20,000 gifts for our troops abroad. The gifts 
are being sent to troops stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Korea, 
Japan, and Africa. The care packages include books and puzzles, board 
games, phone cards, fresh socks, and T-shirts, and about 7,000 handmade 
holiday greeting cards and posters. Jim says, quote, ``It's probably 
always hard for troops to be far away from home, but especially hard on 
the holidays. I use this as an opportunity to try to pay them back for 
my freedom.''
    Citizens like Jim Wareing represent the true strength of our 
country, and they make America proud. I urge every American to find some 
way to thank our military this Christmas season. If you see a soldier, 
sailor, airman, marine, or a member of the Coast Guard, take a moment to 
stop and say, ``Thanks for your service.'' And if you want to reach out 
to our troops or help out the military family down the street, the 
Department of Defense has set up a web site to help. It is 
americasupportsyou.mil. This web site lists more than 150 compassionate 
organizations that can use your help. In this season of giving, let us 
stand with the men and women who stand up for America.
    At this special time of year, we reflect on the miraculous life that 
began in a humble manger 2,000 years ago. That single life

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changed the world and continues to change hearts today. To everyone 
celebrating Christmas, Laura and I wish you a day of glad tidings.
    Thank you for listening, and Merry Christmas.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:35 a.m. on December 22 in the 
Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on December 
23. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on December 22 but was embargoed for release until the 
broadcast. In his address, the President referred to Secretary of 
Defense Robert M. Gates. The Office of the Press Secretary also released 
a Spanish language transcript of this address.