DOES ANYONE EVER THANK THE FRENCH OR GERMANS FOR ANYTHING?:

Karzai accepts medal, thanks U.S. for Afghan independence (PATRICK WALTERS, July 5, 2004, Chicago Sun-Times)

Hamid Karzai, the U.S.-backed leader of Afghanistan who took over after the Taliban regime was ousted in 2001, accepted the Philadelphia Liberty Medal on Sunday at a ceremony at Independence Hall. [...]

''The Afghanistan people have sacrificed terribly to obtain freedom. In the resistance against the Soviet occupation and the fight against terrorism and extremism, we lost nearly 2 million of our people,'' said Karzai, who thanked the American people for helping Afghanistan gain independence.

''We have paid for it with our lives and we will defend it with our lives,'' Karzai said.

The medal's $100,000 prize will support Afghan orphans, he said.