4 months ago today...

it's over 100 degrees out, they're wearing pounds and pounds of gear, long sleeves, pants, boots and a heavy kevlar helmet. there are fleas, flies and lice. there's dirt and sand everywhere, covering everything and in every crevice of their gear, clothes and bodies. they likely haven't slept more than 5 hours straight for months and haven't seen the face of a family member or loved one for just as long. they're sent on miles long patrols daily. the water in their canteen is hot and little refreshment, just a neccesity to stay alive in the desert.

these are our military men and women. they do it every day for months at a time. and they volunteered! thank God for those willing to endure such hardships so that we have the freedom to sit and home in our a/c, enjoying our beds, eating at restaurants and talk about a war many know little about... if it even crosses their minds at all.

when they encounter incoming fire, all they can do is run, if possible, or take cover.
and when they encounter an IED or incoming artillery, all they can do is stay still and pray that it's not their time. and that, if it is, they'll escape with only "minor" wounds. the ones who've been hit pray that their limbs aren't injured severely enough to be lost completely. and the ones who've survived that round have to watch a medevac helicopter take away a dear friend wondering , "why him? why not me?" and hope that their brother will be alright.

i've seen it from both sides. not first hand, but from being with shane for the last 9 years he's been serving this country. he's watched as friends have been injured, blown up and even died.
then, four months ago today, his number was up. he was standing too close to an IED when it was likely remote detinated by a hidden taliban member who'd been watching as they approached the spot he'd buried it earlier. thankfully, he was lucky enough to not lose any limbs and made it back to the united states to recover from his injuries. a process that's not over yet and will scar him for life.

those scars serve as daily reminders to me of the sacrifices being made every day by men like him. some are "luckier" (although i don't believe in luck) and stay in country to continue the fight. others aren't and are sent back to america with life changing injuries. and far too many come home to their families in body bags. buried, mourned, and never forgotten. at least by those who knew them. it's those who don't know a military member for whom i write this blog.



stop and think. every time you hear of an IED blast overseas or read of the death toll climbing, think of the person behind that number. a person who was loved and who loved. a person who was willing to go overseas and fight for a cause that many disagree with, sometimes even the service member themselves. a person who left behind a mom and a dad, brothers and sisters, children and friends. for every number on the list of fatalities, there are hundreds more people affected by their ultimate sacrifice.



before meeting shane, i never gave much thought to the military at all. i'd like to think it was because i was young and that, even without marrying into the military, i would've been one to stop and think about those who serve. but i know there are many who won't be personally affected by the military and it's for those people that i write this. you don't know them at all, but they are over there fighting and dying for you. if you see a veteran, young or old, stop and thank them for what they've done. if you didn't volunteer to go, be grateful that they did.