This morning at Fort Knox Kentucky, the 19th Engineers will conduct a departure ceremony as they prepare to deploy to Afghanistan. For many of the young soldiers, one of whom I met yesterday, are traveling into harm's way for a second time. He was a Specialist. He was somebodies son and he stood there in front of me, tall, slim and confident. His smile was disarming and he was matter a fact about his second deployment to war.
I often find myself asking where we find these young men and women, and the of course the answer is that they are the ones we don't see on TV, these are the graduates of high schools across America, who look over the options, sense a purpose, or even just a job and the choose to become a warrior.
What you have to know is that when you do that, you have to give up even more of your rights as an American to serve America. You have to be polite. You have to professionally recognize your fellow servicemembers and provide appropriate greetings, little things like a sharp salute. They have to tell the truth, all the time, and often as we know, the are asked to do things that are very hard, and sometimes very dangerous. And they do it.
Can we do any less than our best to make a difference for them and their families? Of course not.
Thanks for all you are doing for USA Cares.
Roger
Dang, already afternoon! There is so much going on around here that it is just flat fun! Bill and I are getting ready to go to Washington DC to attend a conference with the Coalition for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, (CIAV) and this will be a great opportunity for us to tell our story and especially the work we are doing with PTSD. You know I will mention what we are doing with 5050!
