Early in 2003, I watched the 1138th Military Police Company from the Missouri National Guard leave town amid a flurry of flag waving and cheers.
It’s an awesome sight to see an entire town turn out to say good-bye to their guardsmen and guardswomen.
While I felt a sense of civic pride watching them go, I didn’t know anyone involved. I wasn’t directly affected.
That is no longer the case.
My daughter Amanda graduates from high school in a few days. In July, she will report to the Naval Training Center for basic training, and will be on active duty in the U.S. Navy within weeks.
As her mother, I am proud of her, but I’m also terrified. My charming, intelligent, talented, beautiful 17-year-old daughter could be going to war.
My friend Scott, a member of the Idaho National Guard, will be leaving for Iraq in June. His unit deployed last fall, but because of an injury, he’s been home completing physical therapy. For months I’ve been praying for his recovery-just not too quickly.
When the United States invaded Iraq, I supported the decision to go to war. With some reservations, I still believe that we did the right thing, though it appears our motivation may not have been as pure as we’d like to portray.
I’ve had numerous conversations over the past two years with people on either side of the fence. There are strident, anti-war folks who believe that we never should have gone to Iraq and should pull out immediately. They cite military and civilian statistics, among other things.
Then there are those who believe we should stay in Iraq until a democratic government is in place and fully functional, which would take years.
There are young people who worry about potentially being drafted.
There are veterans who don’t understand why there isn’t more grassroots support for our troops.
I’ve even had people question my parenting skills for allowing my daughter to join the Navy.
According to The Associated Press, more than 1,603 members of the U.S. Military have died in Iraq. That’s 1,603 families where the war has hit very close to home.
Whether or not you agree with the war, our troops are committed for the time being-we can’t just walk out. So more families will feel the effects of war in the future.
It takes a special kind of courage to be willing to serve your country.
And it takes courage for those of us left behind to let our loved ones go.
For now, my daughter Amanda and my friend Scott are safe at home, where their friends and family would selfishly like to keep them. But soon they will be in harm’s way with thousands of other daughters, sons, husbands, wives and friends.
War hits very close to home, indeed.