On this July 4th 2009, as we are all thinking of celebrating our nation's independence, let's not forget about why we are free and are able to enjoy the liberties that we often take for granted.  It's important for us to come together and celebrate what makes us unique as Americans, but it's also very important for us to remember why we should do so. 

We are at a time unlike any other time in our recent history, as we face economic hardships at home, and have brave men and women serving on two battle fronts on the other side of the globe.  We need to take a moment to reflect, and to say a prayer for the safety of these troops.  As the father of a Marine serving in Iraq right now, I would like to say a special thank you to all of the people that have supported Pizzas 4 Patriots and Operation Pizza over the past year, and I hope we can continue to offer these very special support programs in the future. 

As you probably know by now, MSgt Mark Evans, Frank Guidara of Uno's, and Ethan Mattern of DHL, are going to be in Iraq to meet with the troops, and to serve them pizza on the 4th of July.  Without the great support of Uno's and DHL, Mark and the rest of us would never have been able to make this such a huge success, sending 28,000 deep dish pizzas to Iraq and Afghanistan.   And, without the incredible support and efforts of General David Petraeus and his command staff, as well as many others, we would never have gotten this effort - Operation Pizza Surge, off the ground.  We will be offering the World's Largest Pizza Party on the 4th, and we invite everyone to join us as we show our support for our great troops.

Here is a special message from General David Petraeus, Commander of the US Central Command: