FROM THE HEARTBy Lisa MinnsMy DateWith ASOLDIERAs the title implies, I recently had a date with a soldier. Well, itwasn’t originally intended to be a date but by the end of the nightit was clear that it was indeed a date.This wasn’t just any random soldier; this was a friend that I have knownsince the seventh grade. We went to school all the way through collegetogether and he’s always had a special place in my heart. After graduationfrom Florida Atlantic University, he joined the Army. We lost touch but Ihad heard at one point that he had been sent to Iraq.This absolutely brokemy heart. Any time the TV news would have a breaking story about a localsoldier who had been injured or killed overseas I found myself holding mybreath until I heard the name and then experiencing a double emotion ofboth joy when it wasn’t his name that was read and sadness for the familyof the person whose name it was. As I later learned, he went to Iraq notonce, but twice. He’s also been stationed in several other countries aroundthe globe. Some in combat zones and some not.Thankfully, each time he’smade it home safely to his family and friends. On one of his trips back toSouth Florida, he called me up and we had our date. We had 12 years tocatch up on so there was a lot to talk about, and it also turned into a realdate by the end.That’s for another article though.With all that is going on in the world, I felt it was very important to stopand say thank you to all of our troops for putting their lives on the line.Whether they fly helicopters (like my friend does), are medics, cooks oranything in-between, the fact is that we need them. I listened to my friendtell me the stories about the places he’s been, some of the things he’s had toendure, and can only imagine the things he’s seen. While back here athome in South Florida it was a really bad day if I had frizzy hair and theshoes I wanted weren’t available in my size, a bad day for him was if healmost died or if a buddy of his did. He told me that there was a time thathe was going to a funeral once a week and he would just wish for someoneto get married so he’d have a happy reason to wear his dress uniform. Inthe middle of all of this he also had the responsibility of assuring his kidsthe best he could that daddy would be coming home to them no matterwhat. I’ve already made him promise me that when he go overseas againthis summer, he will give me an address so I can send him care packagesbut somehow, that just doesn’t seem like doing enough.commitment and some don’t survive. All of this is done voluntarily so thatwe can have the freedom to say that we disagree with our government orthat we just plain don’t like the current president without fear of beingtortured and killed. Thankfully, technology is much more advanced than itwas during earlier wars so soldiers can do their best to keep in touch withtheir families and friends whenever it is possible. However, nobody everreally knows when this will be. When I was in college I had a roommatewhose fiancé was flying Black Hawk helicopters in Desert Storm. I alwaysdreaded those times when he would get the chance to call and she wasn’thome. She would cry for days knowing that she missed that one call andthe what-ifs would then sink in.This is the reality for someone who loves asoldier. For real love though, it’s a sacrifice worth making because it’s so rareto find someone to really and truly love.We all have our different views on the war in Iraq. Some agree, somedisagree, and some just plain don’t care. No matter what your view isthough, we all need to support the troops. War is a necessary evilsometimes. Like I said before, without it, we wouldn’t have the freedomto say our opinions out loud without repercussions. Our military isvoluntary. Those men and women go in knowing that they may not liveWe have a responsibility to support our troops and not justthe ones who are wearing a uniform when you meet them.Military families lead very different and very difficult lives. Spouses can’t belet in on all of the details of their loved one’s job or sometimes even wherethey are. Families can be moved at any time to a new base. Doesn’t reallymatter if they want to go or not. Schedules are odd and the strains it allbrings on a couple is huge. Some marriages are stronger because of the44 MAY 2010and that it’s largely for people that they have never met. My friend actuallymade the statement to me that he wonders sometimes if he will live to 40.That terrifies me because I don’t want to lose him, and his kids need him.I value my friends and as my friend I love him with all my heart. I wanthim to be safe and I’m thankful that the three times that he went Iraq hehas come back alive and uninjured.<strong>The</strong>re have been thousands so far thatcan’t have the same said about them though. For each person that isinjured or killed, the people who suffer with them grows exponentially.<strong>The</strong>ir families and friends will always miss them and always have anemptiness in their lives without them.We have a responsibility to support our troops and not just the ones whoare wearing a uniform when you meet them. You won’t see my friend’s dogtags when he’s on vacation, he doesn’t walk around in uniform and chancesare good, if you don’t ask him what he does, you may never know.However, give him a shot of tequila and ask him to do the toast and it willbe to <strong>The</strong> Victorious Dead and he will name his friends that he’s servedwith and lost and you will see the tears in his eyes. <strong>The</strong>re are millions outthere just like him and we all need to thank them. So, Doug, here’s to <strong>The</strong>Victorious Dead–they gave their lives for people like me and I’m eternallygrateful. To all of the veterans and active military personnel out there,thank you for protecting us all.
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