... war was just a game we played when we were kids...

For those of you who have heard this song, you know that taking that line out of context does not do the song justice. But how many Americans feel that war is just a game they played in their backyard with a water gun and their best friend?
This weekend, as I was driving back home, I passed through a small town that could not have had a population of more than a few hundred at most. As I glanced out my window, I noticed a large crowd in a yard. There were dozens of people in lawn chairs and milling around, watching the small country highway anxiously. A large banner in red, white, and blue proudly proclaimed "WELCOME HOME MITCH!", and was surrounded by balloons. There were yellow ribbons on the trees, and food laid out on tables. Someone was coming home from war. I felt my heart swell with pride for this soldier I had never met, and my eyes feel with tears. I prayed for Mitch, and for his friends and family, although I had no idea who they were.
You see, to me war is much more than a game that children play in their backyards. War is the reason that during my freshman year of college I was awakened at 4am with a crying phone call that my friend's brother in law had died. War is the reason that my former room mate has spent most of the last year sleeping in her bed alone, as her husband is deployed. War is the reason that I have learned to write letters and cards, and stuff flat rate boxes with random items.
What will it take for our generation to realize that there are men and women dying every day for their country? And not "old" people... people my age. People younger than me. People who are too young to drink or rent a car, they are over there fighting. Where I come from, most people understand war is real. I come from a patriotic state, where it is very common for a large percentage of a high school graduating class to enlist. My university is also quite aware of the costs of war- there are lamp posts across campus in memory of those students who have lost their lives fighting for our country. I'm not sure if it is possible to graduate from here and not have friends who are Air Force officers, most of whom will eventually end up fighting overseas in some capacity. But so many people have had different backgrounds... they don't really know someone going off to war. Or if they do, its a simple "Be safe buddy, lets grab a drink and catch up when you get back." But sometimes they don't return. And some of us deal with that reality on a regular basis.
The next time you are tempted to blow off something about the war and think it doesn't really affect you... please remember that even though that soldier isn't YOUR brother/son/boyfriend/husband/father... he is somebody's everything.
And please do not ever be like the guy I sat behind at a football game my sophomore year. He was loudly carrying on about the other team during the National Anthem, and I quietly asked him to please stop talking for a moment and show respect for our country and the men and women who protect it. He turned around and loudly told me that he could care less about those people. (My friend, an Army brat, and I had to be held back because we were about 2 seconds from attempting to hurt him... the guy ended up walking out of the game because of the response he got from our group over THAT comment... once the anthem was over of course.) If you are that apathetic, please learn some manners and keep your mouth closed. Or move to another country, I could care less which you choose.