American Soldier

I heard "American Soldier" on the radio this afternoon. As usual, it choked me up. As usual, I thought of MY American Soldier, and I remembered the first time I heard that song. It affected me so much that I can still picture myself sitting at the light at Brownsboro Road and the Watterson thinking at the beginning of the song, "This would be a good song about a soldier," then I heard more, and I thought, "This is a great song about a soldier!" It made me cry then. It makes me cry now.

I got to wondering today about my friends' perception of the military and our family's role in it. I didn't know many active duty soldiers when I was growing up. I knew a couple who had retired from the Army or served for a time, but even living so close to Ft. Knox that we could hear the tanks doing gunnery, the military remained a mystery to me.

The few service members that I did know were mysterious. They had a different air about them. They were no nonsense. They could kill me. They had "assignments" and carried a gun and were called "sir" by almost everyone. I didn't know what exactly they did do when they were at home, but I was sure that it was very serious, and no joking was allowed. They did not eat popcorn or snore or dress up like Klinger or Dr. Evil. They did not cheer at football games or cut the grass or go to Dairy Queen for Blizzards.

I thought about "normal" in our family as Kirk prepares for a short jaunt to Afghanistan. Our friends' dads don't fly to Haiti to help earthquake victims or dig folks out of ice covered roads or make nice-nice with the military in Ecuador. "You're off to the Pentagon again? Tell General So and So hello for me." How did this become normal? And what do other people think of Kirk? Is he just this regular guy who happens to work for the United States military or is does he have that air of mystery? It cracks me up to consider the latter. Kirk mysterious? Not in a million years.

And that's what makes me cry about this song. Our service members are not these mysterious men and women who lock down at night and sit with a rifle across their legs waiting to be called upon. They are dads and moms who cook spaghetti and go to the movies and ride roller coasters. They go to parent-teacher conferences and play checkers and snuggle with their kids after they tuck them in. They ARE cut from a little bit of a different cloth, but they are just average men and women who stand next to you in line at Kroger and sit in the same pew at church week after week. You'll see them at ballgames and raking leaves in the fall and dropping their kids off at school.

Until you don't.

Then you will know that they are off doing what other people can't or won't do for people who may or may not appreciate it. They will do it anyway, and we will all be better for their service. I am truly thankful and very proud to be married to one of these people who willingly puts on our country's uniform every day and goes to work, ready to do whatever is necessary to keep all of us safe and free.