Day 88 Dad

I received an email from Zach today he said it was a long night and he returned to his regular combat outpost at around 1300 or 1 o’clock in the afternoon they had been out and essentially on the go for almost 24 hours. He said he grabbed a little sleep on the ground wrapped in his poncho. Interestingly he said that the checkpoint he was at yesterday and had the Afghan meal at was not available to be used again as it was blown up by the taliban. The local villagers said there were no taliban but after a day filled with fire fights and bombings, the question remained; If there were not taliban in the area then who was causing all the problems? The people are afraid of the taliban because like most of these radicals when they say they will kill you for whatever reason they usually mean it. Thus the regular folks are afraid to cooperate despite their hope for something better due to brutality by the peace loving taliban.

Can you imagine the fear that families feel when a member joins the Afghan national army or the police? They join to better their country and to move it forward but risk the safety of family by just making this commitment. So I have often asked what victory looks like? I wonder even more what defeat will look like? They people of Afghanistan are down trodden, beaten and almost without hope. I realize this is what our message is – to bring hope where there is none, to bring food to this who hunger, shelter to where there is destruction. What a truly great country we have that we can debate the process of not only providing these things for our own people but to discuss how to help others.

We must never forget the words of Ronald Reagan, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” We must always defend freedom, our constitution is not to be tread upon, we cannot pick and choose where to use it or defend it.

God bless our troops for willing to defend freedom and you and I. Zach you are superman, I love you with all my heart.