Whether You Know Him or Not

I was talking with my wife earlier tonight and she had asked if I'd read about my sister's friend who was serving in Iraq. I said I hadn't, but feared the worst. Well, I read the email about Frederick Hinton, a friend of my sister who is serving the American and Iraqi people on his second tour there. Apparently, he had a mission which was to recover the bodies of five fallen brothers and return them to camp--a job that was "gruesome" to use my sister's vernacular. It seems Frederick can't sleep at night because when he closes his eyes, he sees the men he was sent to retrieve--and to add to the woe, one of his platoon members committed suicide shortly after they returned from that mission.

So the title of this post is this: Whether you know Frederick or not, pray for him, his platoon mates, the Marine Corps, the Army, all of our servicemen and women and their families. They are doing a terrific job in horrific conditions placing the freedom from tyranny and terror of the Iraqi people ahead of their own lives. Don't believe the garbage the media feeds you--the surge is working. These heroes will, when it's all said and done, have created a toehold for democracy in an area of the world that has never really known it. It's not just about supporting the troops--it's about supporting the cause of freedom, of being able to live, worship, do as you please, and the rule of law. Anyone who tells you different has an agenda--and it's an agenda upon which I choose not to be listed.

God bless the soldiers and civilians of all nations who have come together in Iraq and Afghanistan to pull these good men and women out of tyranny, poverty and fear. The process is not quick, rather steady. May they succeed. They must. They will.