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Thursday, October 9, 2008 8:46 PM CDT
COLUMN: Offering a hand in support of the troops
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
It’s there and I can’t ignore it. Now and then I look down at my wrist and see the words “Our Troops” etched in tan, green, brown and white.
The word “Support” is just peeking around the curve of my wrist.
It is a troop support wrist band and I’ve worn it since Sunday. That makes it the longest I have worn anything camouflage in my life. I guess things could be worse; it could be bright pink.
Sometimes when I stare at the wrist band I start thinking about Daren, one of my many nephews. He shipped out for duty to Afghanistan with the Army National Guard on Saturday.
Sometimes, the thoughts of Daren make me smile.
I recall how he used to laugh while jumping on me with his older brother and cousins during those days when I was considered a human action figure at holiday time. They were all very young, and surprised I didn’t flatten out like a Nerf football under a pileup. Being an old left guard it was like old times for me.
Then there were the times when he got a little older and fired off zingers that caught the grownups by surprise. And how can I forget the time he pelted me in the eye with a icy snowball during a family melee.
I can only hope he has an understanding platoon sergeant.
Then came the days when he went hunting and enjoyed those marathon poker sessions at family outings. I have never heard teenagers say so little in my entire life. At one time you couldn’t get them to hush up.
And before I knew it he had graduated from high school and joined the National Guard. That’s when his mother started to have a pensive look in her eyes.
When his parents hosted a farewell gathering for him a few weeks ago there came that awkward moment when my wife and I came up to say goodbye as he was talking with his older brother. There are so many things you want to say, but back off. So you joke around, grab that hand that seems so much larger now and offer a firm grip.
It is hard walking away, but you do.
Five years ago, I seemed to sleepwalk through accounts of the carnage half a world away. I had layers of separation because no family member was in harm’s way.
That was a mistake on my part. When we think of the losses over there as numbers only then we have lost touch with reality. The term “Support Our Troops” is not about waving a flag or voting a certain way. It is about really caring for those facing the ultimate sacrifice.
I could flash a Peace, Power or You’re Number One sign with my fingers to express the different emotions running through me right now. And to be honest they are far from conflicting.
Peace would bring Daren and other soldiers home. Empowerment would give us the strength as a nation to make the right decisions for keeping all of us out of harm. And pride is not about swaggering with a chin pointed upward, but believing in one another, including the people overseas. In many ways we are all in this together.
Right now, I am caring more than ever about our troops. However, I realize my worries are a tiny fraction of what parents of soldiers have been facing through this war. I received the wrist band from the mother of a soldier facing his second tour of duty. I am humbled in her presence.
On Saturday I missed the deployment of Daren’s unit. I worried about showing some emotion or failing to find the right words. So I did some chores around the house as the departure time passed across town.
I felt it would be better to make it for his homecoming with the rest of his family. A return is always better than a departure.
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The Question wrote on Oct 10, 2008 10:09 AM: