There isn’t much to say about Iraq, I’m afraid. Beyond all of the political talk; beyond all of the words of the retired generals and think tank “experts”; beyond all of the media commentary – beyond all of that – we have all seen something with our own eyes that has been truly remarkable. We have something real and tangible, something that is worth spotlighting and offering thanks for.

We’ve seen brave men and women – brave beyond description – pick up their belongings and head overseas. We’ve seen them strap on their helmets and body armor and go out into the field. We’ve seen them get attacked and even wounded, and then turn right around and go out and do it again. And again. (Of course, some of them have not returned; but a far better tribute than what I could ever possibly offer is owed to them.)

Is their equipment great? Yes, of course. Is the mission important? Beyond any shadow of a doubt. Have they had support from the folks back home? Yes, far more support than was given to the troops in Vietnam. But none of those things would matter or be worth a scrap if they were not ancillary to this one thing: the actions undertaken by those who are actually doing the fighting. Make no mistake about it – it’s the actions of those heroes that has made the truly vital difference.

Day after day, week after week, month after month, they have refused to give up. Even when things have seemed bleak, they didn’t give up. Even when they were attacked personally by a few louts back home, they didn’t give up. What they felt, in their millions of lonely, anxious moments, as they faced thousands of different threats, I can’t even begin to imagine. I just know this: They didn’t run. They didn’t stop. They just kept going.

And so what? What does all of that “keeping going” mean? It means a lot. It means the hopeless now have hope. It means the bloodthirsty aren’t very confident any more that their despicable plans will win out in the end, after all. And most importantly, it means that all of those Iraqis who were waiting to see how this all plays out for their country, so that they didn’t bet on a loser and end up paying for it with their lives (and their families’ lives), are now able to join the forces who want to build up Iraq, rather than tear it down.

I’m not going to slip into “we told you so,” or say anything else that doesn’t really matter now. That all pales in comparison. I’m just going to say it again: These brave, mighty Americans have done an astounding, world-changing thing.

Who was the “Man of the Year”? Well, Time magazine can say whatever it likes; the entire world knows that the lion-hearted American and Iraqi military men and women (including their commanders) were the only “Men and Women of the Year” worth mentioning. Because they have fought like hell. We have talked; they have fought.

It’s astounding that they have even done any of this at all, to say nothing of the way that they’re doing it. They’re all volunteers (they have even re-enlisted, if you can imagine that kind of bravery). They haven’t whined for a second. It is truly astounding, the way that they are fighting.

We will look back, in a year, in five years, in 20 years. And we’ll talk about all of this. If I have one hope, it’s that we won’t get sidetracked. We’ll talk about resolute civilian leadership, sure. We’ll discuss brilliant, mighty military presence, such as that ultimate warrior, Gen. David Petraeus. We’ll factor in our own homeland support of the mission. There must be talk of all the Iraqi heroes, too, of course. But we must always remember what made the difference in the effort: the daily, heroic fighting efforts of hundreds of thousands of men and women who served our nation militarily.

What else can we say? Nothing – nothing at all, other than thank you. A million thank yous, today and every day. They have earned our maximum respect, the hard way – the hardest way. It is an incredible thing that they are doing. And they are doing it.

Jim Cyr is a licensed master social

worker from Caribou.