Dear Veterans, Thank You.

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

Every year, fresh-faced men and women take the military oath, swearing to defend our country in any way deemed necessary.  Knowing their life will never be the same and knowing they may one day lose a friend or their own life, they bravely take the oath.

Today is Veterans Day.  It's the one day a year where the majority of us say, "Thank You" to the strangers who have saved our lives, even though they may never be a part of our daily lives.

No matter how many years someone has served, no matter how many times someone has deployed, no matter what the work he/she does on a daily basis, to me, that person is a hero.  From the Navy cook to the Air Force flight engineer to the Marine Corps machine gunner to the Army combat medic - they're all brave heroes.

It's the personal stories of our military men and women that can touch our hearts the most.  In their honor, I'd like to highlight some of these generous and courageous men and women...

Master Sgt. Minne Hiller-Cousins - Minnie is a Family Assistance Coordinator in the Army National Guard.  When soldiers deploy, her job is to take care of those soldiers families back home. She does everything from providing counseling to throwing baby showers.  She volunteered to go to Iraq to simply tell her fellow soldiers their families were in good hands.

Cavalry Scout Phil Bauer - As his chopper was leaving Iraq to take him home for a few days of leave, it was attacked and he found himself buried amongst sixteen of his deceased comrades.  After being in a coma, losing a leg, reliving the scars of his near-death experience, he had a total mental breakdown.  After years of suffering from PTSD, he found his passion for life and was able to heal by giving back to other soldiers through the Wounded Warrior Project, East Coast Assistance Dogs, and the Mission Continues.

Pfc. Henry Svehla - A fallen soldier from the Korean War whose remains were never found, was given the Medal of Honor 59 years after he courageously threw himself on top of a grenade to save the lives of his fellow soldiers.

Iraq War Veteran, Bryan Anderson - Despite losing both his legs and one arm, Bryan is a true example of perseverance.  He made a documentary highlighting organizations in Chicago that exemplify volunteerism, and continuously encourages other to help their communities.

Our veterans were not born with super powers.  They were not born with a head start on the road to success.  They were born as regular boys and girls who grew up and decided to take the ultimate risk and be a hero.  And for that, I say, "Thank you."

Why all the drama?

The reason I started this blog was to bring positive attention to our military.  Today I went into Google News and typed in "US Military." My reasoning behind this blog was, unforunately, further confirmed.

Instead of news headlines reading, "US Navy ship returns home after successful deployment" or "US Marines make progress in helping Iraqis" or "US military continuing to risk their lives everyday for US civilian strangers," two headlines appeared:

"Rogue US army unit leader saw Afghans as savages" and "US Army private gets 10-year jail term for raping S. Korean"

I understand that journalism has gone downhill from strictly stating the news to sensationalizing the news (and picking which news story has the most drama, might I add).  But in a country where our current society was built by the men and women who sacrificed so much during WWII, and a society that claims to be sadden and bitter about the Iraq war ever having been started, why is the news of rape and killing within the military our only headline military news?  Is that really the only connection we want with our heroes?

I'm not saying we should ignore the unforunate bad acts some of our soldiers choose to engage in.  But, if we couldn't put "US Soldier..." in front of the story, would we make it that big of news?  Would it have the drama element newsmen are seeking?  No. Is every fight, every sexual assault headline news? No, they're not.

We can easily judge someone from afar when we haven't had to spend a day living the life they lead.  I'm not saying anyone has an excuse for rape or murder, but when you think of the horror that our soldiers see when they're serving overseas, how can we expect them to stay completely mentally happy and healthy? 

Everyday I wake up and I expect the same thing: My house is still standing. My husband is alive and well next to me. My vehicle won't get blown up or attacked. I won't see any murders on my way to work. There will be decent food and clean water for me to drink anywhere I go for lunch and at the end of the day, my comfortable bed will still be waiting for me, in my house that is of course, still standing.

I'd like to think in any situation I'd always make the right choice, but the reality is, haven't we all made a choice we wish we could take back?  Haven't we all hurt someone, whether on purpose or not?  Haven't we all felt so stressed we may have said out in anger, "Ugh I could just kill him!"  We all have.

If we take ourselves off our own personal pedastles for awhile, we may see that the life of a soldier is unimaginable unless we've walked a mile in his/her combat boots.

So the next time you see a negative headline about a soldier, don't think, "Oh, that's what our money is being spent on, soldiers hurting other people?" Instead, think, "I wish those soldiers received more help for their PTSD.  I wish they didn't have to be gone from their families for so long.  I wish they didn't have to see anger and hurt and pain every single day."  And, of course, "I wish I knew about all the good things they're accomplished thus far."

God bless!