'Freedom Walk' honors servicemembers

  • Published
  • By Army Sgt. Sara Wood
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The "America Supports You Freedom Walk" scheduled Sept. 11 has an important message for all Americans, a senior official said Aug. 10.

"We cannot forget that this country came under a serious attack on (Sept. 11), and we lost a lot of lives, and it was tragic," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications.

"We also want to remember that we have men and women in the military who volunteer to defend our country. We want to honor those veterans, past and present," Ms. Barber said.

The walk will be a tribute to the victims of 9/11 and to past and present servicemembers who have defended freedom, Ms. Barber said.

The walk will hopefully encourage every state to hold its own Freedom Walk next year, Ms. Barber said. She also stressed that the walk is not a political statement, but an act of remembrance and support.

"This is not a statement about the war in Iraq or about any policy decisions," she said. "This is a statement about, 'We remember we came under attack, and we're grateful for our men and women in the military who volunteer to serve our country.'"