Remembering the Heroes Among Us

Corey Briest

We are at war. Many of us have become numb to the fact that our country is still engaged in conflicts abroad. We are in Afghanistan and we are still in Iraq. There are still hot spots in the world.

About 1 % of our population serves honorably in the armed services protecting our interests and way of life. No matter what our political opinion is about these wars, these men and women ( and their families) deserve our thanks, thoughts , service and help.

There are deaths on a regular basis that often goes unnoticed. What we don’t see is the aftermath to the families left behind. These are families who live in our towns and communities.

We see many soldiers who have served multiple deployments and are separated from their families for extended periods of times. Sometimes the reunions are hard transitions. Sometimes the separations are even more difficult. Are we there to support them?

There are those who have been bravely wounded. Some of them with life altering consequences leaving them with disabilities that don’t allow them to work or take care of themselves.

Imagine the impact to their families.

These people and their families are not heard from because they do complain. They are trained to cope and take care of things themselves. That is why they are off many of our radars.

Yet, they should not be.

Of all Americans, they deserve our greatest care, attention and service.

Recently, Oprah Winfrey featured in her daily talk show Tom Brokaw, Bob Woodard and First Lady Michelle Obama who have all become advocates for these families. The White House under the direction of the First Lady and the President has launched a full blown program in support of these brave heroes and their families to rally all Americans to give and support them.

I join them and urge you to do the same. Support our heroes.

Video link from Oprah Show Featuring Veteran Corey and wife Jenny