We here in our neighborhoods go about our days sometimes forgetful. Not on purpose mind you, but just lapsing once in awhile into the drama of our lives..What bills have to be paid, oil changes for our cars, who's together now, who's breaking up, and just which function or activity the kids have to go to today. What we are forgetful about sometimes is an idea..A very important idea. The idea that the men and women in this country who signed up to sacrifice their lives, sometimes actually sacrifice their lives. And their families sacrifice their souls in the process. It takes a very harsh, and cold reminder like the 31 Americans that lost their lives this weekend to bring us back to a distinct reality of discomfort. Lives were lost never to come back, and souls were lost never to be the same.
I cannot speak about war and its horrors. Not only have I never been in one, I have never been in the service. I have however talked to many people who have been in wars, and the consistent thread is that it is the nastiest, most unglamorous mess of chaos that anyone can ever be involved in. It is an awful man made experience, and death is the end result for far to many human beings of anywhere. The folks who have been through this nightmare assure that even if one survives physically unscathed through it, the psychological loss can never be regained. There is a fundamental change on the outlook of life when someone goes through a war, that people who haven't will never understand or conceive. Somehow the last piece of innocence that we all possess even into adulthood is strangled, and shattered beyond recognition, and the person can never be the same. The affect not only is on the individual, but the residuals ripple into the families, sometimes causing tension, and the need for counseling.
The point is that men and women in this country are going through this transformation daily, in an effort to keep the ideals and things that we love about this country intact. These are men and women from different parts of the country, from every race and hue, form every religious background, or ethnicity, and all points of economic status, or political affiliation. They all have one purpose, and that is to fulfill their duties as defenders of our freedom, as they take on the assignment given to them in whatever part of the world or whatever capacity that they are required to perform in. They are people who have families, who laugh, who have loved, and who had fears, or who were friends of people who looked up to them, or even troubled individuals trying to get their lives straight. But they are ours, and part of us, and when one dies somewhere we all die in a way because of the fact that we lost lives and souls. The lives lost in war, and the souls of those they left behind. These people see things, have to do things, and are put through the physical and emotional wringer all because that's what they signed up to do, and what we love about this country and things we are able to do are the beneficiaries of them.
I am sure that because of the 6 degrees of separation we all know someone in war, or have relatives, friends or significant others that are currently serving in some capacity. It is gut wrenching and painful when stories arise that there have been deaths of soldiers, and I'm sure that all of us have at some point hoped and prayed that it wasn't someone who was close to us, or someone we knew of personally. But even when we find that it isn't, we still feel pain because of identification with the people that it does personally affect. Someone is getting a knock at their door, or some child's mother or father isn't ever coming home, or perhaps someone's best friend will no longer be there to advise, or comfort. It is painful and a rude reminder of just how hugely important of a service these brave folks are involved in.
It is human nature to sometimes forget this aspect as we are trying to negotiate our own lives, be productive, and raise children. There is nothing wrong with sometimes being self absorbed with your own life because you will not accomplish things that you want unless you focus. But the idea should never be far from the back of your mind that somewhere for this country lives and souls are being lost so that you CAN focus on the mundane routines and pursuits of your life. The lives and souls lost have made this place all that it is, and all that it will continue to be.
To the lives and souls lost, meaning the men and women who risk everything for this land and sometimes pay the ultimate price, we honor you always..To the many families, and friends trying their best to make life adjustments after tragedy, our hearts bleed for you. This is America, and despite all of the petty bickering, all of the differences, all of the posturing that we do to put up walls against one another, the truth remains that we really are one. And united we stand, divided we fall...And when one of us falls, we should all feel pain. And that is being a true patriot.
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