The War Prayer

Sean-Paul Kelley has some very harsh words for the warbloggers. To be perfectly honest, some of them are probably deserved. It’s all too easy to lose the important perspective that wars are messy, bloody, and dangerous affairs.

Yesterday, I found a Marine buddy of mine is getting shipped out to North Carolina. From there, he could well end up going to Iraq.

Despite all our cruise missiles and Predator drones, this war will still largely be fought by American soldiers sent half a world away on short notice. They’re people with families back home, jobs, and hopes for the future. They’re our friends, our coworkers, and our family members. Each of them is setting their lives aside for who knows how long.

It’s easy for someone sitting at the sidelines of this war to forget about the human element. However, that is a very dangerous thing to do. I do believe that this war is a necessary one, and will prevent worse disasters in the future. Yet at the same time, one must not ever forget that this security comes at a high price. There will be causalties – God willing they will be few – but Americans will lose their lives in this cause.

Each of us who remain behind owe a debt of honor to those brave men and women who are shipping out in order to safeguard our lives and security.

We have a solemn obligation to do whatever we can to help them. Give blood, send letters of support, conserve fuel for the war effort, learn First Aid and CPR, and pray for our troops overseas. Most importantly, never forget those whose blood, sweat, and courage keeps and protects your freedom.