None of those 95 died in combat, although plenty of service members from Newberry County, and the nation, have through the years. But whether a soldier died in service or not, we must remember their sacrifices and what those sacrifices provide Americans.
Debate has raged this week in our country as people compare and contrast what President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney have opined on issues of national security and defense. On one fact there can be no debate, without the sacrifices of our military members, we would, as a country, be sunk. We need to take time this holiday weekend to absorb that simple truth.
Death or injuries sustained in combat, that can be an obvious toll to tally on our soldiers, and one we need to take somber note of and honor. It can be easier to overlook the day-to-day stresses and costs of military life.
With deployments increased in both frequency and duration, so have the stresses on members of our armed services and their families. The dangers are very real, even in peacetime, and the United States is fighting a war on several fronts. Military members give up the luxury of planning their lives years ahead: where they will live, what job they will do. That uncertainty can burrow right into their lives a month or days in the future, depending on circumstances.
A constant state of vigilance and alertness is what we expect of our soldiers and sailors, and they deliver. They deliver at low pay rates, in the face of high rates of danger and uncertainty.
We should deliver the poppies, the visits, the quiet attendance to services (there are two in our county Sunday), the prayers, well wishes and thank yous in an effort to remember—this weekend, and always.
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