Honoring Those Who Serve

With another Veterans Day upon us it is time once again to reflect on the service of those brave men and women who protect us. Making this Veterans Day more poignant are the events at Fort Hood in Texas where soldiers were gunned down by one of their own. In this time of war on two fronts our soldiers face numerous enemies and stresses most of us can never imagine. To add the uncertainty of threats from within is to ask too much. As we honor our veterans we should be especially mindful of the thirteen lives lost at Fort Hood and what can be done to prevent tragedies such as this in the future.

As information comes out about what led up to the tragedy at Fort Hood we should be mindful of the fact that this was an isolated incident involving one soldier who was obviously mentally disturbed. At the same time we need to pay attention to the fact that there were some warning signs with this soldier that pointed to a person possibly not well suited to wear a uniform in our armed forces. His ties to radical extremists and outspoken opposition to the current m military missions in Afghanistan and Iraq may have made him poorly suited to serving our country’s people in the armed services.

As we move forward we must think about not only the need to have enough forces to meet our military objectives but also the importance of having soldiers who are committed to the goals and objectives of our armed forces. Part of having an effective military force is for there to be absolute trust between the soldiers on the battlefield. They must be assured that the person next to them will be there to defend them when they are under fire. They cannot be worried that their comrade might want them dead because of some political agenda that is contrary to the goals of our nation’s leaders. Unity of purpose is essential to the success of any military body.

To honor the sacrifices of our soldiers we must honor their needs while they serve and when they come home after serving. We have to make sure they have the supplies and support they need on the battlefield and the peace of mind to serve without wondering if the soldier next to them might be unstable. To that end our leaders must make decisions that don’t unnecessarily put our soldiers in harm’s way either through wars without meaning or decisions that ask more than can be accomplished by the number of soldiers allotted to a mission.

If we are to truly honor those who serve we must support them before, during and after their active service to our nation. There should never be a soldier who ends up homeless or destitute. There should never be a soldier who cannot get adequate healthcare, whether physical or mental, when they come home from war. Honoring our soldiers needs to come in deeds as well as words. We cannot simply pay lip service to our soldiers and expect them to bear the weight of our freedom on their shoulders. We ask our soldiers to commit to us and we must do no less in return. As we remember the fallen and honor those who serve let us recommit ourselves to giving our soldiers no less than they give us every day.

Troy Wilson-Ripsom - Staff Writer| Give your feedback on this article. | Click icon to Digg this article

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