It will be Thanksgiving in two days. Here is something to be thankful for.

It seems that a few months ago, a young army sergeant named Mike Norton was leading his Ranger squad through the mountains of Afghanistan in search of an enemy encampment when they were ambushed. Staff Sergeant Norton ordered his squad to break contact but two of his Rangers were left in the kill zone unconscious.

So Norton “braved multiple rocket-propelled grenades and withering machine gun fire and returned to recover” them. He then rallied his squad and counter-attacked, routing the enemy and destroying the camp. No American soldier died that day.

Today, back at Fort Lewis, Michael E. Norton will be awarded the Silver Star. It will be Thanksgiving in two days. That is something to be thankful for.

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It will be Thanksgiving in one day. This Wednesday evening, three dozen people gathered in a light rain and walked to the Cary home of Julie Grannam where her daughter Aimee and her granddaughter Jocelyn had taken refuge.

photo by Patrick Kunzer, Daily Herald Staff Photographer

Two days ago, son-in-law/husband/father Jason died on the opposite side of our planet facing the global scourge of Islamist terrorism. It will be Thanksgiving in one day and that is something to be thankful for.

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In 1576, Antwerp was sacked by the Spanish. In 1626, a patriotic hymn of thanksgiving was published in nearby Haarleem, Netherlands. The scourge of the Spanish tyranny of the Dutch was finally ended in 1648.

The hymn was republished in Vienna, Austria in 1877 and then into English some 30 years after that.

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

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