I post this to all who have loved ones serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. The original post was in response to Heather's post at <A HREF="http://www.marriagebuilders.com/forum/Forum37/HTML/012567.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.marriagebuilders.com/forum/Forum37/HTML/012567.html</A> , but the message is really for all Americans:<P>Fellow MBers and others:<P>Having spent 28 years both active duty and guard in the Army, I can understand your fears.<P>No soldier yearns for war. But it is what we do, what we train for. Just as the firemen, police officers and emergency medical personnel rushed to confront danger, we, too shall go in harm's way.<P>The whole concept of military training is that we fight bloodless wars so that wars are bloody training. In many regards, the training is harder than actual combat.<P>At 18, I slogged through rice paddies, toiled in jungles. And while I, among most others, wondered what we were doing there, we never failed in our devotion to duty, to our country, and to each other.<P>Since that time, I have had the privilege of seeing the fruits of our vigilance and dedication manifest itself: the Berlin Wall, and the countless miles of guard towers, fences and minefields that separated eastern Europe no longer exist; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia still produce their oil; and those who perpetrated crimes against humanity in the Balkans are being brought to justice.<P>John Paul Jones once said, "Give me a tall ship and a star to steer her by, for I intend to go in harm's way."<P>Well, Heather ... and all you other spouses of those who serve in our military: our nation is a tall ship of state, we have the guiding star of our ideals and our sense of justice to guide us. And, as President Bush has said, we will respond and be heard. In doing so, we will go in harm's way.<P>Having survived the bitter lessons of Vietnam, and then experienced the unanimous support of the population during Desert Storm, I cannot emphasize how important it is to offer your unconditional and full support.<P>People have been asking in the aftermath of 11 September, "What can I do?"<P>You can support, offer encouragement, and offer love to those who go in harm's way. Such support, encouragement and love contributes significantly to military morale and the will to win.<P>It was the lack of such support ... not so much of the war, but of the men themselves ... that demoralized the nation and her sons fighting in Vietnam, and that ultimately led to our withdrawal. As a nation, we must never, never let those that go in harm's way feel that abandonment again.<P>So rally around your sons and daughters, husbands and wives, nieces and nephews. In so doing, you will all have contributed to the war that our President has so rightly declared.<P>Often this week, I have regretted my decision to give up my commission. But common sense has prevailed in my mind and heart: it is a time for other American sons and daughters to take up arms, and that I can now only do what the rest of Americans must do: support those who go in harm's way.<P>In closing, I can only state how privileged I was to have served this great nation, and to have led the finest soldiers in history. I wish them, and their families and loved ones ...<P>Godspeed,<P>STL<BR>former Commander<BR>xxth Bn,<BR>Army National Guard,<BR>Retired<P>ps: obviously, to preserve my privacy in this forum, I omit direct reference to the unit in which I last served.

STL honey,<P>Thank you for posting this letter. It is beautiful and speaks of how I feel much better then I ever could.<P>{for those who do not know, STL is my husband.}<P>Love you,<BR>Z<P>------------------<BR>He loves not who does not show love.<BR>----William Shakespeare

STL: I posted underneath your other thread, so I won't repeat it again here.<BR>To any military wife out there---I was a career military wife for 29 yrs. If I can be of any comfort to any of you, let me know. We are all in this for the long haul.

SNL,<P>What beautiful words and sentiment, I have been a military dependent all of my life, although my H is AF and will not be directly on the line, what he does is still important, and I worry for him and all others at this time.<P>We don't always get the support that we need from our fellow countrymen, so sometimes there is no pride in what we share with our active duty member. The communities around military installations are so concerned about there economy if their base was to be shut down, they take notice of us then. I will get down off my soap box now, I am sorry this is not where I meant to go with this. But for a short time the soldiers will be hereos again and then forgotten again after a time. But never again like Vietnam, I was so little then and did not understand why others were so mean to my father for what he did. So that I am grateful and proud.<P>I thank each and every service person for accepting the call that has been placed before them and thank their spouses for standing so strong behind them, we too have a very important task. I still get tears in my eyes everytime a member retires and stands up to present their spouse with a gift for their unrequested support and service to country. It's what we do for the one we love and for our country. It's nice if others thank them too not just their spouse. So go thank a sspouse of a military person today. Dawn

Thanks STL,<BR>You know, with all this talk of war, my H said that he would not hesitate to put on a uniform and go wherever needed most to help. <P>At first I was like, NO WAY! I would personally dig a basement underneath our house to hide him and my oldest son until all this is over! I didn't want to hear him talk like that. I couldn't bear the thought of them out there "slogging through rice patties and toiling in jungles!" <P>But you know, after a while, I "saw the light" in his words and bravery and character. It's what any real man would do... Thanks kindly for sharing your thoughts on this subject. I appreciate your words and your bravery and wish you and your family all God's best! (Two thumbs way up!)

STL,<BR>Thanks for posting this. I've been saying a prayer of thanks this past week because my H is in a non-mobilization unit...yesterday he told me that he wanted to discuss that if unit(s) in our state were mobilizing he would want to transfer so he could go. <P>He served in the desert of Saudi Arabia and was gone for 7 months, while I was home with our preschool children. I basically freaked yesterday--even knowing he's been military 17 years, preparing for war is what he does every work day, I thought he was "safe" this time.<P>Our 16 year old daugher told him she was proud of him for wanting to give such a noble effort and would support him in any way she could--obviously a better answer than mine.<P>He & I had a bit of a coherant conversation later on in the day, but you've given me that little extra push to do something very difficult--give him my support & once again make sacrificing my sense of security in my home (hard won these past 16 months!) a real part of my patriotism and love of my country. <P>I'm still selfish enough to hope this situation is over before my H rolls out of view in an airplane carrier or HumVee, but I'll make a step today. <P>------------------<BR>Lor<BR>"Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious...think about these things." Phil 4:8

Lor:<P>To those that serve, support such as yours is invaluable. No different, really, from the spouses of firemen, police officers, and emergency rescue personnel.<P>It is not selfish to think of their safety, to hope that they will not have to go in harm's way.<P>It is difficult, I know, to balance <I>hope</I> against <I>fear</I>. It is no different for those who put their lives on the line every day, in whatever public endeavor.<P>To those who do so, knowing that they are loved and supported helps hold the fear at bay and gives them hope beyond their present turmoil. Anyone who serves in such a capacity <I>always</I> looks to the future. Beyond that, the incessant training and real-life experience take over.<P>Robert E. Lee said it best: "Duty then is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less."<P>This is certainly true in a community sense, but it is equally poignant in a marriage. Something many of us take for granted and have forgotten (which is why there is a Marriage Builders, right?).<P>We should all take this opportunity to strengthen our marriages: it is, at a very fundamental level, the keel upon which the ship of state is built.<P>Godspeed,<BR>STL

Thank you for that message. My husband and I were driving to our son's graduation from Army Basic Training on Tuesday when all of the devestation happened. We were so afraid that they would not even let us on the base for graduation or let us see him. He is feeling loyal and patriotic, yet, he is very homesick.<P>Thank you for your words. It is hard on soldiers and it is also hard on their families.