2-7-10 "I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me"

      I think we all have something that really tears us up inside. For me, it’s young men at war. Whenever I see a photo of a soldier in action, I never fail to get all teary. I guess its just the thought of a life potentially cut short by war. Last month, I saw a black-and-white photo of an American soldier in Viet Nam. The photo showed the soldier’s head. It was almost a profile shot, but taken a little above the soldier. His face was partially shaded, and for a moment- just a split second- the face of the soldier was the face of a guy I know. My heart stopped for a moment. My breath caught painfully in the back of my throat. Then the features rearranged themselves and the face became the face of a stranger. But it occurred to me that the soldier might have well have been a person with whom I am acquainted. Many people have gone to war in generation past, and many more will go from our generation and generations to follow. Some of them will have their lives ended just almost before they have really begun by a bullet in his strong heart. It seems so far away from all of us at home, unless we have a part of the family at war. I started when I thought of this.

     Do you remember the fallen soldier who gave you freedom in the Revolutionary War? Do you remember the teenage drummer who died in the Civil War? Do you remember the man in the First World War who was shot while rescuing others? Do you remember the amputee who lost his limb in World War Two? Do you remember the boy in the helmet whose picture I found in my history book? Do you remember the soldier who died in 2002, last year, yesterday, and today in Iraq? Do you remember the fallen soldier? Do you remember? Do you remember? Fill in the empty faces under the helmets with the face of your brother, your father, your husband, your brother, your cousin, your uncle, your friend. Can you feel for them now? Can you weep for the soldiers, your brothers, whom you never met? Can you cry for their mothers and fathers, for their lovers and friends, their children, and for their newborn babies whom they never knew? Can you cry? Can you cry with me? Oh, cry! Weep! Weep for the lives ended so untimely! When your heart is softened and swollen with tears, pray- pray for the families of fallen soldiers, pray for the veterans, and most of all, pray for the soldiers who are far from home.