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And I want to thank Goodyear and NASCAR for stepping up for the troops in a major way.Like most of you I've never been in the military.  But I've been in some pretty tough spots in this world, and I can tell you that what the troops do for us each day- is an awesome miracle.In fact, the red in the flag stands for them and they're giving their all to America, not asking what she'll do for them.So I ask you-  isn't it time to show how much we care?And Goodyear and NASCAR have stepped up to help you and I do just that with a really fun and great program at Goodyear.com.

[caption id="attachment_4797" align="alignleft" width="350"] Left to Right: Goodyear General Manager Stu Grant, NASCAR President, Mike Helton, Support Our Troops(r) Chairman Martin Boire, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver, Ryan Newman announce Goodyear, announce historic, weekend-long transformation of Goodyear race tires to say 'thank you' to the service men and women of the United States Armed Forces and to help launch the Goodyear Support Our Troops^® fundraising and support program.[/caption] You wanna do something simple and fun to help the troops?   This is easy.   Just go to Goodyear.com, click on the SOT icon and get in on the action.  And keep checking back because new things are being added every day.So I say, let's all get together and make the troops as proud of us as we are of them.And I am pleased to give you Nascar driver Ryan Newman, one of the great men who is going to help you and I do the troops proud by actually driving the launch of this great program on these Goodyear Support Our Troops tires this weekend.Martin C. Boire Chairman, SupportOurTroops.Org July 1, 2010

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However, for one U.S. service member here, one single, specific, U.S. flag provides a far more personal representation. Although worn, tattered, and frayed at the edges, it has witnessed the highs and lows of six different military deployments and has flown in five different countries.It's more than just the cloth and material, though, which gives this flag its special meaning. It represents the cause for which Soldiers have given their lives. It represents the Soldiers who serve their country, putting themselves into harm's way, preserving the freedoms we enjoy today.This specific flag has special meaning for Col. Chuck E. A. Sexton, the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team commander, 3rd Infantry Division, who has carried it with him for the past 24 years. The respect he has for this flag is a quality bestowed upon him by his parents. "Both my mother and father's families were immigrants to the United States who left Europe to get away from oppression and slavery in Eastern and Western Europe," said Sexton, a New York City native. "When they came to this country, they valued the country so much they defended it during World War II. They taught me as a kid growing up, to always respect my country and flag." Respect for the flag has carried over to Sexton's military service. After his initial enlistment in the Army as a private, he was commissioned as an Infantry second lieutenant in July 1985. "It's a part of you. It's something that's very comforting to bring with me each time I go," said the self-assured New Yorker. "When I flew it in Somalia, it got some battle damage there. It also got some damage in the first Gulf War. It's very comforting to have it with you. Usually I keep it folded now, because it's frayed at the edges in a couple of places and it's got some shrapnel rips in it. "In the first Gulf War the stars and stripes got a little greyer from the oil fires," he continued. "It took a little bit of shrapnel from Iraqi artillery and it put a couple of rips in it. The wind was really strong then, so it kind of unraveled a little bit at the ends, too." Sexton said he remembers with clarity a windy day, Feb. 27, 1991, after capturing the Jalibah Airfield, a place south of Tallil, along Highway 8, during Operation Desert Storm. "After we captured the airfield, at eight o'clock in the morning and things were still smoking, we pulled out our flags because we had them stowed during the attack," he said. "I mounted mine on top of the track. It was for a good reason part of it was for morale and the other was so we wouldn't get hit by our own aircraft. It was a really good feeling to see the good old Stars and Stripes unfurled and flying in the breeze. You heard a lot of the guys cheering and it was a good feeling, seeing that flag flying." It flew every day, and was then refolded until his next deployment, when he was called to serve in Somalia in 1993, where it was unfurled and once more flew on a daily basis. "Now, when someone asks me to re-enlist them, or asks me to promote them, I always bring it with me," said Sexton. "It's kind of neat to look over the last 20-plus years and the number of people that have stood under that flag with their hands up swearing an oath either an oath of re-enlistment, or an oath to our nation. It's easily in the hundreds now. "It's even neater to watch the Soldiers you've been with. It causes it to become more tangible and more of a living thing. That is the most critical part it represents the people. That's what makes our country great. It's the people it represents, instead of one specific leader. The flag talks about that continuity," he concluded, with a knowing smile. June 22, 2010: Written by Maj. Stephen Holt, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division