As I was leaving the office tonight, I saw a guy jogging on post. It was dark and I couldn't see him that well, but I could tell his was tall and had a very muscular upper body. That is not an uncommon scene around post by any means since our military community is largely made up of some pretty high-speed paratroopers.
The thing that really stood out though, is that he was jogging along pretty slowly (which is rather unusual for the guys) and he was hobbling pretty badly. You see guys hobbling sometimes too, but not like this. Watching this guy would make you want to wince like "damn, that kind of hurts me to just watch."
I got closer and realized why the slow pace and the hobbling. The guy was running on an artificial leg, one of those blades you see on paralympic athletes. I'm guessing this was a new leg for him, especially by the way he was running.
It made me think, here on Election Day, how most Americans voting today will never have any real, up-close and personal interaction with the members of our active duty military. It's wonderful to hear how so many people "support the troops", but I regret that most people will never truly know how good these men and women are. Being integrated back into this community, it is remarkable to me the sacrifices these soldiers make. It is remarkable to see the sacrifices these families make.
I wish everyone could attend the Memorial Services I've attended and hear the stories of these men who have died, and the words said about them from their fellow soldiers, and the testimonies of men who wanted to be of service to the country and to their fellow man.
Last week, Suzanne and I had the pleasure of hosting a friend for dinner who is the wife of a deployed Army Officer. While her two daughters were laughing and playing in the other room with our kids, we asked her how her husband was doing and how she was doing. I wish every American could feel the palpable and mixed emotions from a woman whose husband is currently working in some very dangerous places, who has the pride that comes from that kind of service and sacrifice, and who has the fear and responsibility of raising two daughters whose father is deployed. Wow, that sure does put our "challenges" into perspective.
So to the paratrooper jogging last night on his alloy leg, and to the woman who is holding herself and her family together during this latest deployment, and to all the men and women serving American in dangerous and foreign places - I vote for you! You are true American patriots and heroes.
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