A Debt of Honor

Hello.

As you read my first entry, you may have noticed there’s something I haven’t been – a member of our military. One of my greatest shames is that I’ve never served. All my life, I’ve known the freedoms and liberties of our nation at no cost to me – liberties secured by the willingness of others to give their life so I could sit here in the Midwest with my family.

Like many in my generation, both my grandfathers served. My paternal grandfather saw action as an infantry sergeant at Guadalcanal while my maternal grandfather was a tank commander in Korea. Unfortunately, I don’t remember Grandpa Brumett, save for a few cloudy images that I’m not even sure are real as opposed to dreamt. I often hear my mind replaying Grandpa Adcock’s stories of his time in uniform. These men were the last in my family to serve our country. I planned to join but learned I wouldn’t be allowed to fly so I pursued another route; many nights have found me staring at the ceiling with regret.

A few months back, I became affiliated with a nonprofit organization called “Our House” Foundation (OHF). Founded by Rita Spilken, Psy.D., our mission is to come alongside men and women suffering from symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and other conditions resulting from service in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2005, over 6,000 new veterans committed suicide; this is beyond appalling! These men and women volunteered to serve our nation, got sent to a foreign land, survived, and then came home only to die by their own hand!

Since becoming a part of this group, I have seen pictures and heard stories that left me in tears. Beautiful young women – looking as if straight from Homecoming – seeking relief from the mental pain war inflicts. Fine, handsome young men – the kind I picture my daughter marrying someday – who take their own life. Click here to learn more and view a video of one such young man. Each of these tragedies rips apart the life of a mother, father, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, commanders, comrades, and the list goes on. The shameful part is what we’ve heard and seen pales when compared to what these young lives witnessed firsthand. One’s political leanings become irrelevant after just one viewing.

One of the great strengths of our nation is our diversity. Some folks live nothing but far right while others are equally to the left. Some people don’t believe in war, some see it as an evil necessity at times; all sane individuals hate war. Some individuals seek a theocracy while others want religion completely removed from modern society. Some citizens see nothing wrong with the U.S. being part of the United Nations while others despise the entire entity. Some view abortion as murder while others see it as a choice. Whatever our thoughts on any subject, we all owe a tremendous debt of honor to the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters who daily defend the Constitution and ensure our freedom to disagree. The Unites States military members deserve the undying support of those they serve. To continue in apathy is to spit in the face of those brave souls; didn’t our nation do enough of that a few decades ago? I close with one of my favorite quotes.

“Far too often we see men and women on street corners with handwritten signs that say 'Homeless Veteran - Will Work For Food,'" said [Senator Barack] Obama. "Sometimes we give a dollar, sometimes we just keep walking. These are the soldiers who fought in World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq. They made a commitment to their country when they chose to serve - and now we must keep our commitment to them. Because when we make the decision to send our troops to war, we also make the decision to care for them, to speak for them, and to think of them -always- when they come home."