November 22, 2006

LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today encouraged Michigan citizens to remember the men and women who will be spending the holiday working to keep us safe and secure. 

"No matter how you celebrate this Thanksgiving, please remember our servicemen and women here and overseas, our first responders here at home protecting us around the clock, and the more than 100 families in Michigan who have sacrificed a son or daughter in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," Granholm said.

Granholm said that while most of us enjoy mouth-watering feasts, or attend the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade, or volunteer at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter, for our first responders Thanksgiving is just another workday whether they are protecting our streets and borders or caring for the sick and elderly.

"And for some, it is another day to pray for the safe return of a loved one and an end to a war halfway around the world," Granholm added.  "We will be thankful for the members of the armed services here and around the world who are separated from their loved ones while they perform the monumental tasks that are asked of them every day - protecting and defending freedom and democracy."

The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state through an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.  This week, the address is being made available two days early in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.  The address will also be available on the Governor's website on Mondays as a podcast for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.

Broadcasters Note: Governor Granholm's radio address can be accessed through Sunday evening exclusively through the Members Only page of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters website. 

Publishers Note: The text of today's address is attached.