Veterans Day

We've been busy. For quite some time, 14 hour work days have been the norm. Several days ago I think I about reached my limit, and I had to take myself out of the game for a day or so. It is a blessing to be in a position to exercise that option. Schedules are erratic, and we'll frequently go days at a time without returning to base. Fortunately, we've nothing particularly exciting to report. The thud of rockets landing on base has apparently ebbed somewhat, taking the edge off the cool autumn evenings. We do still have to be on our toes, however. About a week ago I was outside of a large hospital in an unfamiliar neighborhood talking with a couple of young women on their way to catch a bus. I was asking them about what they thought about the security situation in the neighborhood. Just as my interpreter finished relaying my question, and before they had an opportunity to respond, a huge explosion about a block away rocked everybody back on their heels. I just laughed and jerked my thumb in the direction of the explosion. "...well, except for that, what do you think of the security here?"

And then there are days when war just is no fun at all, like when you unexpectedly find yourself trying to console a father whose teenage son was accidentally killed only 48 hours earlier in a raid against a bomb making neighbor. You find yourself in a house still reeling from shock and grief. There's a bullet hole in the wall at eye-level across from an open window, and hair and tissue still stuck to the high ceiling well beyond the reach of the women who had scrubbed away every other physical trace of the tragedy. As we listened intently to the father's narrative of what occurred only hours earlier, I suddenly found myself at a loss for words. I wrapped my arm around the man's shoulders. My touch seemed to open the floodgates. He bowed his head, and I could feel his body quake with silent sobs. Beneath all the armor, ammunition and weapons, I felt utterly helpless.

It is Veterans Day. I know that back home there are the traditional parades, pancake breakfasts, documentaries on TV, and probably reams of newspaper columns dedicated those in uniform. However, I'm equally certain that not enough attention is being paid to the families of those soldiers without whose unwavering support none of us would be able to serve. The families of soldiers frequently bear a greater burden than the soldiers themselves. They must deal with the uncertainty into which their loved ones have been thrust. They must endure the absence and the unknown. In an unpopular war, they must deal with the barbs and arrows flung by ignorant ingrates unable to differentiate between the war and the warrior. On this Veterans Day, I want to say thank you to my family. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made that have allowed me to do what I am doing now. I appreciate it more than you can possibly imagine.