Posted by
Silentgal on Monday, March 15, 2010 1:12:35 PM
"Your cookies, candy and other goodies are shared with men from all the countries in our
joint NATO unit."
That was the beginning of a message to me written by a U.S. spokesman for a NATO unit
in Iraq about a year ago. I had been sending packages to that group and received a
"thank you" message from him. He went on to say that all goodies were shared equally and
the men from other countries were amazed at the generosity of Americans. He believed those
American care packages served as important additions to foreign relations that spoke
volumes about the spirit of our citizens.
My father fought in WWII but would never talk about it until he was quite elderly. When
he did, it was inspiring to hear stories of some of his experiences. I learned a new
respect for him and a better understanding of why his family and the U.S. way of life
were so important to him.
My husband served proudly in the USAF for 30 years. He not only protected his
country, but he did so with grace and humor. He experienced life-threatening assignments
as well as time in DC. He preferred fighting against foreign enemies to battling with
political enemies of the military. Nevertheless, he served always to the best of his
ability and always with the understanding that his commitment was to defend the
Constitution of the United States.
The men and women in our Armed Forces are the true heroes today. They serve as
ambassadors in ways no civil servant ever could. They deserve our respect and our thanks.
One way to thank them is to send packages with small comforting reminders of their real
life here at home. If you can't do that, a simple prayer for their safety works wonders.
These thoughts were prompted by an article last week at: