It is easy to watch the news and get lulled into thinking
that it is a long way away and doesn’t involve our world. We see pictures and
footage from the wars and somehow it does not seem real. We hear about the casualties
of war, we see their pictures, we hear their names and yet it all seems so
distant and surreal. Sure I guess I had thought about soldiers losing their
lives fighting our war against terrorism but it had never hit close to home,
until Sunday.
A northeast Kansas man was killed Sunday in Afghanistan when
his patrol came under fire. That man was Sgt 1st Class Forrest W.
Robertson of Westmoreland. I had met Forrest a couple of times but I did not
know him as well as I should have. Forrest was a true patriot and he made the
ultimate sacrifice for each and every one of us, please never, ever loses sight
of that. Sgt. Robertson died protecting us; we are safer each day because of
what he did.
It hit hard when I heard the news. His parents are neighbors
and friends. Each Sunday I sit in the same church with his mother-in-law and
grandmother-in-law and each Sunday we prayed for his safety. I saw his three
daughters when they came to visit Grandma and Great-Grandma. I know his wife
Marcie and I know she bravely kept life as normal as she could at home when he
was deployed. Sgt. Robertson was not just a name on a page or a picture on the news;
he was someone I had shaken hands with.
We all wonder how brave we are. We would like to think we
would sacrifice ourselves for our fellow man, but most of us are never really
sure. Forrest volunteered to protect us; he served five deployments and was
just days away from coming home. Sgt 1st Class Robertson not only
risked his life for our safety but he continued put himself in harm’s way to
protect us with his bravery. We are safe
because of brave men and women like him,
A source I checked
said that there had been 2,192 American fatalities in Afghanistan since the war
started. That was a number I never truly understood until now. Each of them has
a name, a face and a family. I am sure each death had an equal impact in their
home community and most importantly the circle of family and friends around
that soldier. We must remember and cherish each of them and honor their memories.
Sgt. 1st Class Robertson joins a long line of
patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our great nation, they are
the true heroes. We must remember that they gave of themselves and made the
ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms and the safety that we
often take for granted. I promise you that I will never again take my freedom
or my safety for granted.
I am humbled by men like Forrest. I can only hope that we
will surround his wife, daughters and the rest of his family with comfort,
prayers and help. He gave his all for us and the least we can do is to take
care of them for him. We owe him and them a debt of gratitude that can never be
repaid and it is up to us to try.
It seems only fitting that Veteran’s Day is coming up. I
know that I will never look at the day in the same way again. I have always
been grateful to those who served, especially those who served in a time of
war. I cannot imagine the horrors they saw and the sacrifices they made. I
would hope I could do that, but unlike them, I do not know. If you are one who
served, or if one of your family was killed serving our country, words cannot
express my thanks.
I thought I knew what the price of freedom was; now I know
for sure what the price is. I am forever grateful for those who paid that price
for me. I promise each morning I will step out my door, knowing that I am free
because of brave men and women like Sgt 1st Class Forrest W.
Robertson. God bless you Sgt Robertson.
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