Working as a local news reporter, it wasn't long before the first kid from our viewing area was killed in combat. His sister gave a couple interviews on behalf of the family. The brother was Saeth's age. She was mine. I'd never felt such obligation to tell a story well.
I can still hear the 21 gun salute.
Just a few weeks later, another one. We were invited by a family desperate to have their son honored and remembered, to cover the funeral. I was waiting in corner of the little church's entry area, trying to stay out of the way and as invisible as possible, when the bereaved parents and two teenage brothers walked in with the casket. They were left to wait for the service to begin.
They didn't see me in the corner, but I had no choice but to stand witness as they grasped one another and that casket and sobbed.
7 years. Of course, I'm blessed that these tragedies didn't hit any closer to home. These families are still in my mind...my heart. I wonder if they've healed? If they can heal?
Tonight, as the President gave his official speech ending the war, they're on my mind. I know hearts continue to break as families remember these losses or experience new ones. It's my prayer that they'll be comforted in a way only the Lord knows.
The President has vowed to fund Veteran's care more thoroughly. I hope that comes to fruition.
As someone who was never especially supportive of reasoning for this war, I thought this was especially poignant:
"...I am mindful that the Iraq War has been a contentious issue at home. Here, too, it is time to turn the page. This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq’s future."
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