I grew up watching the news. As a 5th grader, I remember watching in horror as the US rushed to pull it’s last folks out of South Vietnam, ahead of the fall of Saigon. I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t understand why we were fleeing, and it didn’t look like we had much military coverage for our people, as helicopters landed on top of the embassy, and as other helicopters were being pushed over the side of carriers to allow for more helicopters to land.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. I have always been so proud of our military, but so dismayed by our politicians. We ask men and women to sacrifice for our country, and they do, while politicians and others continue to tie their hands – you can’t shoot unless you see them shoot at you, and they hit one of your men.
I had a conversation with one soldier from the 10th Mountain Division, shortly after his return from Afghanistan. He told the story of watching two men planting a mine in the road. He’d called the sniper over to engage them, but had been told by his officer to stand down, because he couldn’t prove they were planting a mine. The next morning, they had to have the mine detonated before they could deploy.
War is awful, and I am so thankful that we have men and women who are willing to go into harm’s way to protect us and our way of life. There are so many of those brave men and women, and families of those brave men and women who are hurting right now; who feel like their efforts and the sacrifices of their loved ones have been in vain. Like me, they are dumbfounded watching us once again try and get the last of our folks out of a country where our military won so many incredible victories, but politicians and corrupt governments had other agendas.
Please pray for our military, our military families, our people in harm’s way in Afghanistan, and in so many other parts of the world. Thank God for them, and ask Him to keep that hedge of protection about them, to give them the victories, and to bring them safely home.
In Christ,
Chip
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