Never Again

Getting out of my car at home, after dropping the kids off at school, I was stopped in my tracks by the sound of TAPS playing in the breeze. Without thinking, I stood still and put my hand over my heart, breathing a prayer for the families who lost loved ones 6 years ago today. I had just listened to Lee Greenwood's, God Bless the USA, on the radio on the John Boy and Billy show. They did a commemoration of 9/11.

"I won't forget the men who died and gave that right to me."

Around here, it's not once a year that the reality hits home. So many husbands, wives, fathers and mothers that live on this Post are gone right now. Some will not return. It may be our neighbor or our friend or the father of one of our kids' friends. Who knows. It is a sad realization. Whenever Clint has been on leave and then goes back to work, Olivia wants to know if he's going back to Iraq. We are fortunate that he won't. Not as long as he is injured. It has been over a year since he injured his back in a jump but he is still in daily pain and considered non-deployable. That is a blessing for our family but I know it is hard for him as a soldier. Defending freedom in a very real and physical way is what he is trained for.

Our close friend, Michael, returned from combat last week for 2 weeks of R&R. He got to meet his newborn daughter for the first time. She was 3 wks old. It's been hell for him down range on his 1st deployment. He saw his buddy die from an RPG. His last words to him were, "tell my mom I love her". Michael can't ride in a car here at home without serious anxiety and panic attacks. He has 7 months left on this deployment. He needs our prayers.