Dear Editor:
Without making any political statements, I want to acknowledge the brave men and women of our U.S. armed forces who are away from home and family and placed in harm’s way.
Whether we agree with the decision about war or not, let’s all remember that our service men and women are doing a duty they are sworn to, and that they deserve our respect, our admiration and yes, even our thanks.
You want to make someone happy? Thank someone in the service for his or her sacrifices. Many reservists have been called to active duty and have been taken away from their jobs on top of everything else.
Consider that their pay as a full-time soldier might not be anywhere near what they made in their civilian job and that they might find it a lot harder to make ends meet.
You want to make someone else happy? Thank the wives and husbands whose spouses are overseas for carrying on with their daily lives in the face of what must be a terrible fear and loneliness.
Thank them for getting the kids to school, helping with homework, making meals, being there for the kids to laugh with, to cry with, and for all that they do while they are without the partner they love and count on for help through life.
Thank the parents whose children are fighting a war for having raised a child into adulthood who was willing to fight to protect this great nation and all it stands for.
And finally, say a prayer to whatever God you hold dear that they can all be together again, sharing love and life with those of us who count on them, who miss them, and who love them.
Richard Weber
Hollister
