In Memoriam

On Sundays ABC airs a political show called “This Week”.  At the end of each show, before the Sunday funnies, there is a segment called “In Memoriam.”  During this segment people who have died during the week, who have made an impact on our society in some way, are honored. I mention this because since our invasion of Iraq after 9/11, George Stephanopolous (host until January 2010) started the segment by saying (don’t know what previous hosts said) “This week, the pentagon released the names of # service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan…” Music played in the background (“Adagio For Strings "The Village"”), and there was a listing of the names, rank and ages of the service men and women who were killed that week.  Christiane Amanpour has continued the segment after a brief period of not airing it.

I mention this segment because depth of the human sacrifice is crystal clear every week.  It is a sobering reality check that all of us should remember.   We may read or hear about numbers of the lives that are lost, but the names, the people, the flesh and blood, the REAL men and women who risked and are risking their lives every day need to be in our thoughts. 

Today, I honor those individuals who lost their lives in wars and battles and I pray for the families and loved ones they left behind.  The greatest sacrifice of any one person is to give their life for their country, a cause, a person, an ideology or a belief. 

THANK YOU for your choice to serve.  We are, as a nation, indebted to you and your family for the sacrifice that you’ve made.