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.

Veterans, Thank You.

I was driving around Boise today and as coincidence would have it, stopped at a light behind a late model sedan with this license plate:

My wife noted that of all the military/veteran plates out there, this is the one that really hits her hard. I was choked up, too. She said she'd get out and knock on the man's window if she didn't think she'd startle him and his wife.

As for our Veteran's Day observance, what can we do? We'll be going to our neighbor's home this evening. He was a sailor in WWII and lives with his son here.

I just want to say that when you see a veteran, thank them. Hug them. Shake hands with them. A while back I almost missed the opportunity at the local grocery store--but seized it when presented the second time--to acknowledge a WWII/Korean War veteran. If you could've seen the look of humility in this man's face, and the look of pride in that of his wife, you'd never miss another opportunity--and would seek to create them--to thank veterans for everything with which we've been blessed in this great country.

Thank you veterans. I'll be forever in your debt.

If you'd like to support a good cause, check out my friend Chip's blog. He's affiliated with the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, and is doing something about it.

Remember.

I probably couldn't have been more geographically distant from New York, the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania six years ago today. I was on my way to work in Orange County, California, having just finished teaching an early-morning seminary class to a group of high school-aged youth at my church. As was my custom, I listened to KFI640 on the way to work. I heard about the first plane on the radio news as I entered Carbon Canyon. As the news came in, I couldn't really believe what I was hearing. Were we under attack from an army? Who was doing this? Was it an accident? Multiple accidents? An aircraft controllers glitch? I remember actually turning the radio to 97.1 FM KLSX, because I knew they ran the Howard Stern show in the morning--and I knew he broadcast out of New York--that he was there.

I remember later that week, still not fully understanding who or what did this--as I drove up the hill towards the freeway with my wife and daughter in the car--telling my wife as tears welled up in my eyes, "if they need me, I'll go and fight. I'm ready to go." In retrospect I knew that the spirit was more than willing--but the flesh was old, out of shape and ill-prepared. In this war my physical abilities have not been called upon, but in the years since September 11, 2001, my confidence in this country and in its leadership has not waned. It is not the popular road, but I believe it to be the right one.

Now I have three kids, and we don't miss an opportunity to thank the men and women in uniform: armed forces, police, firefighters, for the service the render on our behalf. Last year we brought homemade cookies to the local police and firefighters with the kids; earlier this year, our daughter collected Girl Scout cookies and delivered them to the local National Guard troops--the day before they deployed to Iraq.

However you remember today, remember that real human beings lost their lives on 9/11--not reds or blues, conservatives or liberals, real human beings--our brothers and sisters. It was fratricide on that day. With that in mind, I wholly support the efforts of freedom-loving people everywhere who, when faced with the choice of us/freedom vs. them/radical enslavement, choose us.

God bless the memory of those who have died fighting in this war against evil. May God grant His grace to accompany those who died innocently six years ago this day--and those who had just enough information to die as heroes--thereby showing all of us that greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.