It's Raining....

It's raining today. I've heard a lot of complaints about the weather. It's ruined our weekend at the lake, it's too cold to use the pool, I wanted to grill outdoors today, so forth and so on.

We have reached a point in our culture, where today is the "SUMMER KICKOFF" weekend and not the day of remembrance it should be. Today is the day that we should all take time to remember those that have given their life in the service of their country. Four thousand, nine hundred and sixty two so far in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There are those who have blogged today about the innocent who die in war. The so-called "collateral damage" that accompanies any war. And make no mistake...those deaths are not to be minimalized. Every Iraqi child killed during the "liberation" of Iraq had someone who mourned their loss as bitterly as the mother of any soldier. A great deal of time could be spent in discussing whether those deaths were justified. BUT NOT TODAY!

Today is the day when we as a nation should honor the memory of our fallen sons and daughters. Whether we agreed with their mission, today is a day that we collectively take responsibility for thier blood. We as a people elected the officials that set the missions and authorize the funds. We as a people offered the lives of our children up as a testament to our collective ideals. And they go! And they die! And (for better or worse) they change the world on our behalf. For that service and sacrifice on this day we honor their memory.

Today we do not debate the merits of the job they do at our behest, but honor the blood they shed at our request. Because even when the mission itself is questionable or not well thought out....American Armed Services are on the ground doing thier job! We owe them respect for that.

It's a somber and gloomy day. It's raining...and perhaps that is appropriate. Even the heavens should weep for the loss of our soldiers.

And after we have reflected upon the blood that we have spilled, perhaps we as a nation will remember how precious that blood is. Tomorrow we will think about the loss before we commit the troops. Perhaps we will be certain that the loss is justified by the mission. Perhaps we will remember that war is a reality and not a B-movie! The extras don't get up after the filming and have coffee. In the real world we bury our children in war!

God Speed to our fallen countrymen! Our prayers go to your families. And thank you!