In this age of the volunteer army, the U.S. Marines have an expression: “For eight years, the Marines have been at war while for eight years America has been at the mall.”
Yesterday, the family that is America’s volunteer army held a memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas, for the 12 soldiers and one civilian that were killed in a tragic shooting last week at the army base. The killings are now being viewed by some professionals, not as a religious act by Islamic zealots, but as an act of disgruntlement on the part of one individual. An individual who, whether a zealot or not, will as President Obama stated very plainly meet justice in this world and the next.
Those who died and those who were wounded all volunteered to serve. They answered the call that only they heard and in doing so became part of a larger family, a military family. Yesterday, America got to watch that family mourn the loss of those who made the ultimate sacrifice – a sacrifice that can never be repaid. It can only be remembered and honored.
On this Veterans Day, we are a nation engaged in two wars and we honor all those who have served. But we should note that yesterday, we had the privilege of watching a family take care of its business before it got back to the business of taking care of this nation.