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Thank you very much for your support to my family during my yearlong deployment to Iraq. I am very honored to have the opportunity to serve our country during this crucial period in our nation's history – conducting the responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq while supporting the efforts in Afghanistan that will hopefully help end these conflicts sooner. Living in solitude for a year under the threat of mortars and rockets gave me a new perspective in life. With one of those rockets landed only ninety feet from me, it has proven that your warm thoughts and prayers had kept me from harm's way. I have grown to appreciate much more of the things in life that I have taken for granted. Family, friends, and our freedom - our freedom to worship, to express our opinions, and the freedoms that we enjoy every day. My family's sacrifice was great - but by no means alone. Over a hundred thousand troops are still serving in Iraq today and more are arriving in Afghanistan every day. They still face these dangers daily. Despite our differences of opinions, our support for our troops and their families, should never waver. I urge that you consider sending care packages to our troops, and donating to organizations that support our servicemembers – soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, and their families, such as the USO -- until every one of them come home. I have rejoined the City Council on February 23rd and I want to especially thank Dean Chu for his outstanding service during my extended military leave. In addition, I must also thank Wilma and their daughters to support Dean’s service to Sunnyvale this past year. I am very excited to be back to Silicon Valley to continue to serve Sunnyvale, and I look forward to meeting you and sharing “war” stories. With deepest appreciation,
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