Remember Those Overseas

There are predictions of heavy snows in the midwest and in the plains of the United States. The east coast is already in the midst of reeling from the blizzard that hit us last week and we're expecting ice again tonight in the Washington area. News reporters are chiming in from various regional airports and train stations letting people know to get to their respective departure points early so that they can transit security ahead of time. People are on the news complaining about having to get to the airport earlier than what their eventual flight time will be but that's all part of the holiday travel season. The roads are jammed, the malls were full until the last minute and through it all we continue to focus our attention on what's happening here. But we mustn't forget those who are serving in our armed services overseas.

For many of us, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are so far removed from our thoughts that it's hard to contemplate having to eat Christmas dinner in a mess tin or holding mass inside of a sandbag-lined bunker with your machine gun ready at your side but that's been the reality for many soldiers who are in Iraq and Afghanistan. Whether you support the war or you don't, one thing that we should all do is support the troops. Like those of us who work, they are also doing their jobs and doing them under the most difficult of circumstances. While the rest of us can spend the holidays with friends and family, many servicemen and women are deployed thousands of miles from home in hostile environments. It's easy to forget these things but we really shouldn't. It's important that we don't.

Many troops have been in the field for multiple deployments; others have come home only to be deployed again within a few months. Yet the continue to do their jobs despite the difficult circumstances. Now I have never served in the armed services personally but I know many who have and it never fails to astound me that these ordinary folks often looked at their deployments not as an inconvenience but more as a duty to their country and their chosen service. They did it because it was the right thing to do and though it interupted the normalcy of most of their lives, they found that it was in service of their country so they did it.

So if you find yourself on the road stuck in heavy traffic with hundreds of miles left to go, remember that at least you don't have to be worried whether your car will be ambushed by insurgents. If the heater in your home or office fails for a few hours, remember that you don't have to do without one all the time in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan. If you have to stand in line at the airport for a longer time remember that old saying that "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance". We can take it for granted because of the brave men and women who are serving abroad in an effort to ensure that the horrors visited upon our country in 2001 don't happen again. Happy Holidays to all of them!