Soldiers

The day was bloody, so was every other day. The last battle cost more casualties than any other. The weary soldier has finally picked his way home and he has had enough! The Brass has come forward and is giving a speech to the survivors, if you could call them that.
“I know you are tired. I know today was worse than any of us ever thought possible. But I ask you to join with me one last time! To go out there and make a last stand! We have a way to take back a large part of the city and thus hold the enemy at bay from reaching our stronghold for a little while yet! Will you go with me!”
The crowd murmurs and black stares are turned on the man speaking. Finally a voice cries out over the din, “I have been through things worse than death, I have seen my friends and family killed! I have sloshed through the blood of those I called comrade. No! I will not go back out there! I am going home to spend the last few hours I have with my wife and daughter!”
The Brass nods his head sadly as the other voices in the crowd echo the same thing, “You who have faced the enemy and know the horrors will not be forced to face them again. But you who have face the enemy and know the horrors that are coming by all means go back home and wait for your family to know the same terror you do!” Then the man turned and strode away.
The soldier’s stomach lurched and his mind saw his loved ones slaughtered at his feet, he saw his child being dragged away and he heard her screams; those screams echoed in his mind as he turned and looked in the direction if his home and then picked up his gun and followed his commander back onto the battle field. The soldier never returned home, but he died knowing that those he loved were safe for one more day.

These are our soldiers! They aren’t violent glory seekers! They are fathers, sons, brothers, mothers, sisters, wives, husbands. They are loving hearts who saw their daughter run up to them and yell daddy and decided that they wanted to make sure the innocence never left her face. They are the watchers who protect. God follows His people into the fray! Don’t think for a second that He isn’t sitting in the trench holding the wounded soldier’s heads as they cry and pray. Don’t ever assume that God turns away when a person in uniform has to choose between his friends and the enemy! When my uncle went into battle during Desert Storm the enemy put children in front of them as they shot from behind. My Uncle said all you could do was try not to hit those children. Do you think for a second God condemns the soldiers who were forced to face a wall of kids? Or do you think the ones condemned are the ones using those children as shields? It’s not a question. Yes. I am saying harsh things and accounting harsh stories but people too readily accuse soldiers for the harsh things they have to do. It’s not their fault. They never asked for there to be war or death but they have the heart and the courage to fight to keep us safe so we can judge them without being killed or having our families killed. War is war, and until you have lived it you can never judge, and no one can ever say that God doesn’t love our soldiers! Because if you read the Bible you will know full well that He does! We will remebered them, honor them and be proud of them.