A father of one of the 13 US servicemen who got lost at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan four days ago, on August 26, 2021, recounted how his son had said that his brothers and sisters would take care of him, and now it seemed ” that they all went out together. ” That broke my heart. I served in Afghanistan and was lucky to come home whole, but the memories always come back to me, especially when I hear from someone else who answered the call from our country and did not return home the same way they did with the tip. of the lance. .
This is a story that has been going on for a long time and does not have an ending that we can see. Whether it is a direct conflict with the basic principles of our country, a threat to us, a principled position, or simply accidents during training or a failure of a complicated piece of machinery, it is so difficult to see the damage reach the heart and to the soul of America, its youth, our future, who rose up to be our shield, our champions, our soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, national guard, coast guard, and veterans, many of whom return to those places as contractors or as humanitarians in non-governmental organizations. Why do they contribute so much to our country and our people?
The reasons vary: Honor, the desire to be honorable for our country; Tradition, often in American families, the next generation moves forward to continue a multigenerational contribution to uniformed military service; AdventureSome of the coolest “toys,” the most exotic trips, and the best friends are enjoyed by those who serve. In the retirement of a man who served for 30 years, someone who was one of the best and brightest I’ve ever met, when it came time to speak up, all he could say was, “I can’t believe it’s over.” .
Then there are those who face when our country is blatantly attacked. In my life, I experienced that. On September 11, I saw tens of thousands of Americans join me in the military ranks; they were angry and eager for revenge. Now, for the last four days I have heard that young American children at the time of 9/11 gave their last full measure in uniform to try to save the Afghans who had earned the right to America. to save them.
It is so difficult to listen to the stories of who they were, knowing that they did not get to live their lives fully and that they did not pass in peace while they slept. But, don’t turn that off and don’t panic. If you don’t get it, watch actor Kevin Bacon’s masterpiece, a movie titled “Taking Chance.” Look at that, then you won’t walk away from this sad news. He will accept it, because he understands that every American is his witness. You owe it to them.