I'm sitting in comfort in an American city that isn't besieged by religious zealots. In a little while, I will get into my truck and drive on roads that aren't deposits for roadside bombs. I'll drive without worrying that the car next to me will detonate after the driver makes eye contact with me and conveys a hatred that becomes part of the explosion.
Thousands of miles away, American men and women are facing those horrors. Yet, the majority of Americans don't care. All they ask is that we care about them. Is it too much to take a moment to lift them up in prayer, to ask God to send angels to surround them with divine protection? Is it too much to thank them when they return for the hardships they endure so that we remain a protected country?
Is it too much to hold people accountable, military and civilian, when their decisions sidetrack our fighting men and women and harm them unnecessarily and when their decisions are born of arrogance and a refusal to think rationally and pragmatically? Our warriors are a national treasure. We can't survive without them, but we take them for granted. Some accuse them of horrific crimes, holding all of them responsible for the actions of a few. All they ask of us is that we vote for strong leadership, that we elect people who will make decisons that are in the best interest of the country and not a political party. All the warriors ask of us is that we make decisions that won't cause them to lose their lives unnecessarily. They'll give their lives, most of them willingly, for our country, but we should make certain that when we ask an American to die for us, we do so only after exhausting other options. It should never be done for political reasons.
That's all they ask of us.
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They are our national treasures, and they are our sons and daughters and brothers and sisters and husbands and wives. They're the might behind our voices and they hear our voices. We send messages to our troops every day, and whether they are hearing a positive message or a hateful one is entirely up to us, here in the Rear.
We live in reality though, and know that there are those against our troops, against America, against freedom.
The politicians and the leaders must stategically think of our troops in the big picture of things. That is what they are trained for and what they have advisors for. Sometimes they fail, they always argue, and many times look after their own skin.
It is up to us, the general public, to let these national treasures know how valuable and worthy they are. And yes, because there are those who choose to label our military as something less than a "national treasure," then those of us who truly believe in their good and their mission must be bolder and louder in our support.
We can say we support the troops. And for those who believe, there is always the strongest sacrifice of prayer for them and their families, but this support should also be sent in some tangible form. There shouldn't be one man or woman in uniform without a Christmas Card or token of love this Christmas. But there will be.
We can't do something about everything as an ordinary civilian without money or power or name, but there is still a great deal we can do. And it is important.
Take the time or open a wallet. If you care, involve yourself in some way.
The 'noise of war' is frightening to even those accustomed to carnage. I think most Americans can't totally wrap their brains around the kind of war and wars we're facing in the future. It is too much to think about. It's like when I type the names of the Fallen, I can't totally go there in my mourning or shared grief. It is too much. We and our bodies and our minds are protective of their sources. So, I'm not sure that I believe its apathy we face in America. I sense the face of denial more than of apathy. And too, ignorance of the root cause of the violence and jealousy that has always been a part of the Middle East. It's profoundly deeper than any decision on our part to stay or go. It is really about a fervent hate for the Christian and the Jew. That won't ever change, but that doesn't mean the Jew or the Christian or even anyone in firing distance to the Jew or Christian can turn a blind eye and say something so inane as "If we just leave them alone, they'll leave us alone."
Who really leaves the Hornet's nest in their honeysuckle? Not me. I have my warrior husband spray it at night, when the Hornet is home and due to the cold, most vulnerable, the Hornet and her warriors are ambushed by the husband who is wise enough to arm and fight with pesticide. We must serve in EACH battle we face with the weapon and the foresight to win. To win.
But as we, American civilians fear and at times choose to live in a state of denial, so too, do our young troops. It is up to us to count them as more than an expendable property, a fighting force. It is up to us to love and treat them as though they are sons and daughters and respect the job they do at keeping us in the rear ...saving us from the front.
Kayla,
If I had the talent you have when I was 13, I would have already won a few Pulitzer Prizes! You are awesome, and I sit back and wonder how you write with the depth and maturity that fills your work. Writers 20 years older than you haven't learned the skills you already have. Kayla, don't ever stop writing because you're going to be a major talent.
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