Room at the Top

Daniel Parten, Lona Parten, Anna Laura Parten, Tyler Parten

Image courtesy: Tyler Parten Foundation

As Lona Parten stared into a sunrise atop the world's tallest freestanding mountain, she reflected upon the darkest year of her life. The last 3,000 feet of her August climb to Mount Kilimanjaro's summit took seven hours, through frigid, pitch-black conditions. Yet she was determined to equal a feat that her sons, 1st Lt. Tyler Parten and 2nd Lt. Daniel Parten, once fulfilled together.

"Come hell or high water, I was going to do it myself," Lona, 48, told The Unknown Soldiers.

On Sept. 10, 2009, her eldest son's life ended on a mountain in Afghanistan's Kunar province. Tyler, 24, was leading a platoon of the Army's 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment toward a Taliban stronghold when he was struck by enemy sniper fire.

On that terrible day, a life devoted to faith, music and concern for children ended brutally. Lona said Tyler's body remained on the hill for nearly 10 hours after his death, with enemy bullets repeatedly striking her son as fellow troops were pinned down by sniper fire.

"It is true pain ... indescribable," a tearful Lona said after recounting the dreadful details. Her voice shook throughout our conversation, on the day after what would have been Tyler's 26th birthday.

"Every fiber of your body hurts and sometimes you can't even breathe," she added.

Her surviving son, Daniel, 24; daughter Anna Laura, 20; and ex-husband Dave, 55, all wear memorial bracelets identical to the one I noticed on Lona's right wrist in a Birmingham, Ala. restaurant. The bracelets are never removed, nor are haunting images described by still-grieving members of Tyler's platoon. Yet despite his deployment's tragic ending, fellow soldiers said Tyler embraced his time in Afghanistan.

"They said he came into his own there and truly loved it," Lona said, briefly perking up. "He was full of compassion, music and love."

Tyler's private journals, which Lona treasures and has spared no expense to copyright and possibly publish, reveal that the warrior's heart was constantly aching for Afghan children savaged by terrorism, hate and war.

"When reading his journal entries, you see the pain and anguish, but then his words would end on a positive note," she said.

The words Lona used to describe what transpired in the hours and days after her family learned of Tyler's death — anger, blame, depression, screaming, crying — pierced my heart.

But like his journals, the fallen warrior's Marianna, Ark., memorial service ended on a positive note.

"My children sang, played guitar and did everything that Tyler would have loved," Lona recalled, reminding me that her son loved to play music for kids in Afghan villages.

Few American moms face a second son deploying to war after losing their first born in combat. Lona said Daniel and his wife, 2nd Lt. Tara Parten, will eventually head to Afghanistan after they complete training. Like Tyler, both are West Point graduates full of bravery, patriotism and purpose. But that doesn't make it any easier for a mother to bear.

"It is so hard to even think about him going into combat," Lona replied after I asked about Daniel. "How will I sleep? How will I deal with the phone ringing or knocks at the door?"

The light at the end of the Kilimanjaro darkness has helped Lona cope with her constant fears and deep emotional scars. She may have lost her eldest son on a mountain in southwest Asia, but she rediscovered his spirit at Africa's peak.

"When the sun came out, it all seemed better," Lona remembered. "It's not, but you have to come to peace with it."

"Something snapped: I can't continue to be sad all the time," she continued. "I'm not going to lose Tyler or forget Tyler just because I'm happy."

Perhaps the poignant closing sentence of 1st Lt. Parten's journal can comfort the loved ones of more than 4,600 American troops killed in action since Sept. 11, 2001.

"If there is anything I've learned, though, it's that the future is in God's hands."

For the families of America's fallen heroes, there is still room at the top of the mountain where one mom found hope.

COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM

Badge of Honor

Images courtesy: U.S. Army

After six hours of driving to and from Jordan's border with Iraq, an exhausted Maj. Gen. David Blackledge wrapped up an early dinner with fellow U.S. Army officers at Amman's Grand Hyatt on Nov. 9, 2005.

As Blackledge's group walked past the hotel bar, a man sat down and ordered an orange juice. Moments later, as the soldiers walked toward the elevators, he blew himself up.

"It was pandemonium," Blackledge told The Unknown Soldiers. "Between people trying to get in and out, and the emergency workers, it was full of gridlock."

Flashing back to a harrowing 2004 ambush he barely survived during his prior Iraq war deployment, Blackledge knew the enemy too well to believe danger had passed.

"I told my fellow officers: 'We need to get out of here,'" Blackledge said.

The general's racing heart was met by the pounding pressure of another nearby explosion, which everyone felt in their chests as they raced through Amman's chaotic streets. Despite neck and shoulder injuries, Blackledge guided his group to an Italian restaurant, where officers were promptly whisked away to a safe house.

"The pain didn't really manifest itself until the next day because of adrenaline," the general said.

When Blackledge was blindsided by this terrorist attack on three hotels, which killed 60 and injured more than 100, he was still haunted by images of the ambush in Iraq 14 months earlier, which left him in a body cast. The general was heading to a tribal meeting near Iskandariya when heavy machine-gun fire blasted his convoy.

"My translator, who was sitting behind me, had been shot in the head," Blackledge recalled in a quiet, subdued tone. "As bullets flew through the windows, I was convinced that it was all over, and the next round was going to hit me, but I was going to go down shooting."

After narrowly escaping the flipped-over SUV and diving into a nearby ditch, the general ran back toward another one of three convoy vehicles, which had burst into flames.

"I tried opening the back door, got it open and saw it was just tangled bodies and blood," Blackledge said. "Then the captain said, 'Get me out of here,' because a translator was on top of him."

When Blackledge bent down to help his comrade, he felt a crippling shot of pain through his lower back. As the general later learned, his L3 vertebrae had been crushed in the SUV rollover. He was one of five injured in the enemy ambush, which killed one Iraqi translator.

While confined to a body cast for 11 months, Blackledge realized his injuries went far beyond his shattered back.

"I was constantly reliving the ambush," the general said. "It was nonstop and kept rolling in my mind."

Blackledge, who now commands the Army's Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), admits that he returned to duty too quickly after being wounded the first time. The subsequent Amman bombings, coupled with the stress of leading men and women into battle, pushed him close to the edge.

"The thing driving me crazy the most was the short attention span and difficulty concentrating," he explained. "My wife is an Air Force nurse with three combat deployments, and she had concerns about me."

After some initial coaxing, this battle-tested military leader, who has received the Legion of Merit, five Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts since 1975, set the bar for a new, unofficial badge of honor. He asked for help.

"It was like a weight coming off my shoulders," the general said.

Blackledge, who still struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder but has benefited greatly from treatment, has an order for active duty service members and veterans. If you're hurting inside, or know someone who is, it's time to speak up.

"It's just like helping out a soldier who has a physical wound," Blackledge said. "We wouldn't stop or hesitate at that, but sometimes we're too reluctant when it comes to injuries we can't see."

While a general's nightmares about a terrorist ordering orange juice and enemy bullets piercing his SUV may never cease, the stigma attached to post-traumatic stress disorder, at long last, is beginning to fade.

COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM

Note: To read more columns like this one in your local newspaper, please ask editors to contact Creators Syndicate.

Closer to You

Image courtesy: Travis Manion Foundation

Horrific news from Iraq's Al Anbar province was still sinking in when the Manion family's phone rang in Doylestown, Pa. On the line was Brendan Looney, calling in the middle of grueling Navy SEAL training. The strong, aspiring warrior was bawling hysterically.

Earlier on that Sunday, April 29, 2007, Looney's Naval Academy roommate and dear friend, 1st Lt. Travis Manion, was killed by a sniper's bullet as he drew enemy fire away from wounded Marines. Manion, 26, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with Valor for heroism and gallantry displayed in combat.

Before Manion left for what would be his final combat tour, someone asked him why he had to go back to Iraq. The Marine's response was simple, but direct: "If not me, then who?"

Looney asked himself the same difficult, poignant question as he contemplated quitting SEAL training to mourn his friend.

"(Brendan) just wanted to come back, but he couldn't leave," Travis' older sister, Ryan Manion Borek, told The Unknown Soldiers. "My parents said 'Brendan, you can't quit. Travis would never want you to quit.'"

Looney went all in on Navy SEAL training, perhaps the most physically demanding 30-week program known to man.

"He dedicated the rest of his training to Travis," Brendan's sister, Erin Looney, told me. "He would never give less anyway, but he was going to give that much more for Travis — that extra little edge."

On June 22, 2008, Lt. Brendan Looney graduated as "Honor Man" of his class. With his wedding and a deployment to Iraq just three weeks away, Looney made an emotional journey to Pennsylvania his top priority.

"When he graduated from SEAL school, the first thing he did was visit my parents," Ryan, 31, said.

Looney made it home safely from his first combat deployment and would fight overseas three more times, with "if not me, then who?" always in the back of his mind.

"Brendan never wanted us to worry or think about him being in danger," his younger sister, 23, said. "He was always going to protect us — even protect us from worrying and stressing about him being over there."

On Sept. 21, 2010 in southern Afghanistan, Looney, 29, boarded a Black Hawk helicopter with three fellow SEALs and five soldiers. The chopper crashed in Zabul province, killing all nine American service members aboard.

Erin, one of Brendan's five siblings, was sitting at work on that tragic September day, half a world from the crash site. She still mourned Travis, who "was like another older brother," when she lost Brendan.

"Our family is really close, and seeing everyone else upset is what upsets you the most," Erin said.

"The Looneys are an amazing family," Ryan, the executive director of the Travis Manion Foundation, emphasized. "They are very tightknit, like we are."

Amid dual tragedies that could tear any family apart, the Looneys and Manions came together. After Brendan's wife, Amy, said she wanted her husband resting close to his best friend, Travis' parents agreed to move their son's grave from Pennsylvania to Virginia. The heroes now rest side by side at Arlington National Cemetery.

"The ceremony was amazing, beautiful and heartbreaking," Ryan, who witnessed her only brother's burial for a second time, said.

Erin said that as kids, she and her siblings, three of whom went on to serve in the military, always wanted to hang out in Brendan's room — "the cool room" of the house. Today, she spends hours sitting in the Arlington grass, next to her big brothers in arms.

"We were so lucky to get to know them and be a part of their lives," Erin said, bringing tears to my eyes. "One is rare enough, but to have two, both brothers to you, is on a whole other level."

This new column's mission is to introduce you to the men and women who defend our freedom. As these stories arrive on your kitchen table every week, I hope you will feel as close to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as I did on Christmas morning, while bowing my head at the graves of 1st Lt. Travis Manion and Lt. Brendan Looney. Surrounded by fellow Americans, they will never be divided.

COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM

Image courtesy: Eileen Horan

Note: The Unknown Soldiers now appears in newspapers as a weekly, nationally syndicated column. To read more personal stories of our nation's heroes, please call or e-mail your hometown paper and urge its editors to contact Creators Syndicate.

Through the morning, through the night

Image courtesy: Senior Airman Gino Reyes

Every morning for the past nine years, American service members have watched over the Joint Task Force Guantanamo detention facility in Cuba. Steps away from the bright blue ocean and some of the world's most dangerous terrorists, troops like Spc. Emely Nieves, pictured in the Honor Bound Guard Tower on January 7, are responsible for some of the war on terror's most sensitive work.

While Guantanamo became a symbol of ideological differences in the United States, especially in the latter portion of the last decade, the men and women in uniform there are not politicians. They follow orders, whether that means interrogating, guarding, or providing medical care for suspected terrorists, or taking the first steps to release detainees cleared by courts.

Eight thousand miles away in Afghanistan, where many alleged members of al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations were captured, volunteer warriors patrol America's post-9/11 battlefields as the sun goes down. Over the past week, the Pentagon has announced the deaths of five U.S. service members in Afghanistan. The first three soldiers listed below were killed in action, while the soldier and airman at the end of this tragic grouping died in non-combat incidents.

Spc. Omar Soltero, 28, San Antonio, Texas
Spc. Joshua Campbell, 22, Bennett, Colorado
Spc. Shawn Muhr, 26, Coon Rapids, Iowa
Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Venetz Jr., 30, Prince William, Virginia
Tech. Sgt. Leslie Williams, 36, Juneau, Alaska

Tuesday in Uruzgan province, U.S. Special Forces helped Afghan police destroy 15 improvised explosive devices that could have killed, maimed, or terrorized innocent civilians in Shahid-e Hasas district. While these stories no longer make headlines in the United States, I believe saving lives is both noteworthy and extraordinary.

As sweeping changes in Egypt rock the world community, let us not forget all the daily sacrifices being made by brave Americans serving in our military. From guard towers at Guantanamo to the runways of Kandahar Air Field, between sunrise and sunset, flashes of freedom peek through the clouds.

Image courtesy: Spc. Edward Garibay

Not gone

When Staff Sgt. Joshua Mills joined the Army in 2005, his family prepared for many holidays apart, including Christmas. Yet as his older brother told The El Paso Times, the Green Beret would almost always manage to find his family on December 25.

I learned of Staff Sgt. Mills' story on Christmas 2010, while walking through Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. While every resting spot on this sacred ground is important, Mills' headstone stood out because of moving, carefully placed decorations on and around the Soldier's headstone.

As you can see in the above photo, a loved one or friend pasted his picture and a "hero" sticker on each side of "U.S. Army," while the small tree and candy cane on each side of the headstone signify the true meaning of Christmas: Sacrifice, love, and family.

When Mills was deciding on his career path, Chris Roberts reports that he decided to follow the noble path of his dad, Tommy Mills, who had a distinguished career as an Army warrant officer. One of his brothers, Travis Mills, serves in the Air Force. Joshua Mills' inner call to serve was so strong that he left the University of Texas to enlist, trading dorm rooms and fraternity parties for 5 a.m. wake up calls and demanding tests of physical skill and emotional willpower. Training was hard on the aspiring Soldier, but it all paid off when he became part of the Army's elite Special Forces.

On September 16, 2009, the 24-year-old Green Beret was on his second deployment to Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device planted by terrorists took his life in Helmand province. Killed alongside Mills were Sgt. 1st Class Bradley Bohle, 29, and Sgt. Shawn McCloskey, 33. All three departed warriors served with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

December 25, 2010, marked the second Christmas since Mills was taken from his family. Not long beforehand was the second birthday of his young son, Malaki, who is learning about his father's heroism from his mother, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. A deeply moving Batman-themed birthday party invitation attached to the fallen Soldier's headstone shows us that dad will always be an integral part of his son's life.

"We feel you near...'Ki Ki' seems to sense your presence and says things and points when no one else is there. We know you are are NOT GONE -- you will always be with us -- especially in our hearts."

Cars were permitted to pass through most roads inside Arlington National Cemetery on Christmas, perhaps because officials knew how many relatives and friends wanted to visit their fallen heroes on the special holiday. Just as I was leaving, a large pickup truck pulled up with a huge tribute to Staff Sgt. Joshua Micah Mills on the back window. Once again, this proud, patriotic American family was together for Christmas.

Faraway places

Images courtesy: Sgt. Brian Kester

While the above photo is clouded by blowing sand, one fact is crystal clear. Conditions are far from ideal for Marines in Badghis province, Afghanistan, which is in the northwest part of the country not far from the border with Turkmenistan. While temperatures and terrain vary around Afghanistan, which is roughly the size of Texas, troops serving in the country must adjust to a primitive environment that would shock some Americans who take things like running water, toilets, and heat for granted.

Soon, more Marines will join their thousands of brothers and sisters in arms in Afghanistan. The Wall Street Journal reports that 1,400 additional Marine warriors will deploy to the post-9/11 war zone as early as mid-January. For each Marine that takes this dangerous journey, there are dozens of loved ones, friends, and fellow troops worried about their safety. The impact of these types of deployments on the military community cannot be overstated.

I have watched several hours of cable news coverage in the past two days and heard next to nothing about events on the ground in Afghanistan or Iraq. From the death and capture, respectively, of two senior terrorist leaders, to the life-saving measures Polish troops used to rescue a pregnant Afghan woman and help deliver her baby, there is plenty of fascinating news to report. Instead, cable news is obsessing over the new Congress, which is an important political development, but something everyone knew would happen for months.

For the thousands of coalition troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, life is intensely unpredictable and immeasurably different than home. While the national media isn't particularly interested in their personal sacrifices, I strongly believe that the majority of the American public deeply appreciates what these brave men and women do every day. As we go about our lives at home, our fellow Americans are attacking the enemy where it murders, plots, and plans. To our brave service members: Thank you for standing guard in faraway places.

Bowing our heads

Image courtesy: Spc. Luther Boothe Jr.

This Christmas, The Unknown Soldiers blog salutes the brave men and women in uniform serving our country in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world at this very moment.

We pay tribute to the military families that have an empty spot at the dinner table, but hearts full of love and patriotism.

We thank the veterans who have seen and done more in defense of freedom than many of us can imagine.

We remember the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and remind their loved ones that we haven't forgotten.

We honor our nation's fallen heroes, who in a time of war, uncertainty, and fears of terrorism, told their fellow countrymen "don't worry, I'll go."

We owe everything we have to the men and women who defend our nation. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.


Note: This video is not intended to endorse any product. It aired only once, during Super Bowl XXXVI, to honor victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Far from home

Image courtesy: Spc. Edward Garibay

On Tuesday, I had the honor of interviewing Maj. Gen. David Blackledge, Commanding General of U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, for an upcoming Creators Syndicate column. While I can't wait to share more with you about this fine leader's incredible 35-year military journey, Maj. Gen. Blackledge said something about the holiday season that I think is important to highlight during Christmas week.

"I’ve got over 1,100 soldiers deployed right now who aren’t spending the holidays with their families," Maj. Gen. Blackledge said. "I've gone several Christmases in a row before, and you also miss birthdays and anniversaries."

For those of us who haven't served in the military, not spending special days with our loved ones is something that's difficult to imagine.

"It's hard to describe to people who don’t experience that," the general explained. "It's those special events like holidays where family is so important. It really affects you. And you’ve got to really hand it to our great Soldiers and all our great military members."

As I have written on this blog since leaving the national media, the vast majority of American journalists continue to fail their country by neglecting to give sufficient ink, airtime, and web space to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Judging by discussions I've had with journalists about this topic over the years, many reporters, producers, and news executives would likely respond by saying that it isn't their job to aid the United States during wartime. If that had been the overriding press sentiment during World War II, one could argue that defeating the brutal axis regimes in Europe and the Pacific would have been an even more colossal task for allied forces.

According to the Project For Excellence In Journalism, which is part of the non-partisan Pew Research Center, the war in Afghanistan received only five percent of news coverage during the week of December 13-19. That period includes December 14, when the nation learned the identities of six American heroes killed in a Kandahar province, Afghanistan terrorist attack.

During the previous week, which included the December 12 suicide bombing, two proud volunteer warriors, Lance Cpl. Michael Geary and Pfc. Dustin Finch, were killed on December 8 in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively. Despite numerous events of significance, which were closely followed on this site and many other military blogs, Afghanistan coverage was even more scant during the week of December 6-12, getting only four percent of what PEJ calls "the news hole." Coverage levels of the war in Iraq did not even register in the weekly study.

The national press finds plenty of time to hype royal weddings and overanalyze celebrity mishaps, often using the drive for ratings as an excuse. While issues like the economy and health care impact millions of people and deserve ongoing attention, stories that received comparable coverage to the war in Afghanistan during this two-week span include the Elizabeth Smart case, WikiLeaks, and the deaths of longtime diplomat Richard Holbrooke and cancer-stricken political wife Elizabeth Edwards. Regardless of your political beliefs, it is clear that Ambassador Holbrooke and Mrs. Edwards were courageous individuals who did a lot of good in the world. Their deaths deserved attention and mourning, but so did the deaths of these valiant aforementioned American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I can't count how many holidays I spent working inside newsrooms over an eight-year span. Yet as a general reminded me yesterday, that doesn't compare to spending Christmas in a war zone. While there are still isolated examples of strong American war reporting, like a CNN special called 'A Soldier's Story' that aired over the weekend, the continuing lack of consistent focus on these post-9/11 conflicts by the national media is an insult to thousands of American troops spending the holidays apart from their loved ones.

The men and women of the U.S. military repeatedly risk their lives to preserve Constitutional principles like freedom of the press. The men and women of the national media can afford to risk a Nielsen ratings point to illustrate the breadth of sacrifice being displayed every day by our fellow countrymen. For a media industry that often revels in the failures of politicians, celebrities, and sports figures, it's time to look in the mirror.

A new morning

Image courtesy: Staff Sgt. Andy Kin

I can't imagine what it's like to wake up in a war zone. Many troops stationed in active combat theaters open their eyes each morning to immediate danger, never knowing which awakening will be their last.

As Sunday dawned, U.S. troops in the Taliban-infested Zhari district of Kandahar province were manning their posts and preparing for patrols as terrorists packed a minivan full of explosives. After a suicide bomber rammed the vehicle into a new military facility, six American warriors were taken from their families, friends, and fellow troops. According to The Washington Post, the Taliban has claimed responsiblity for the shameful terrorist attack on the farm village.

NATO forces immediately responded, launching a hunt specifically aimed at a suspected terrorist believed to have ties to Sunday's vicious assault. Officials said several insurgents were captured during the hard target search, and more missions will follow.

As much of America grumbled about blizzard conditions and freezing cold over the weekend, tragedy marked the early stages of winter in southern Afghanistan. Now, six American families will receive knocks on their doors, and solemn dignified transfer ceremonies, like the dramatic November 30 memorial pictured above, will be held by the military. The pain these service members, friends, and families will experience is overwhelming, and American citizens on the homefront should share in their grief.

Terrorism against our nation will not stand. No matter which political party is in charge, the U.S. military stands ready to strike back when we are attacked. That's exactly what's happening at this very moment in Kandahar province, and our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women standing up for the cause of freedom. To the families of the fallen, Monday morning marks a new dawn. We will never forget what your loved ones sacrificed in Afghanistan, so their fellow Americans could wake up covered by the blanket of freedom.

Agony and ecstasy

Image courtesy: Cpl. Daniel Woodall

Since December 1, the Pentagon has identified 15 American casualties from the war in Afghanistan, including six 101st Airborne paratroopers murdered by an Afghan border officer on November 29. The following nine fallen Soldiers and Marines were killed in action between November 30 and December 6. From frigid Sudbury, Massachusetts, where it snowed on Monday, to the shores of Honolulu, where this week's temperatures are reaching 80 degrees, military families are mourning tragic news delivered from the war on terror's central front.

1st. Lt. Scott Milley, 23, Sudbury Massachusetts
Cpl. Chad Wade, 22, Bentonville, Arkansas
Sgt. Matthew Abbate, 26, Honolulu, Hawaii
Sgt. 1st Class James Thode, 45, Kirtland, New Mexico
Lance Cpl. Lucas Scott, 20, Peebles, Ohio
Staff Sgt. Jason Reeves, 32, Odessa, Texas
Sgt. Nicholas Aleman, 24, Brooklyn, New York
Cpl. Derek Wyatt, 25, Akron, Ohio
Pfc. Colton Rusk, 20, Orange Grove, Texas

The dramatic image above, taken by Cpl. Daniel Woodall on November 28, shows the daily tension many of our troops experience in combat. It turns out that Sgt. Jacob Bublitz, a combat engineer with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 3, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), was providing security while fellow Marines worked on paving a roadway in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province. It may not have gotten many headlines, but Sgt. Bublitz and his brothers in arms put themselves on the line that day to make the lives of Afghans better.

Striking pictures like the one above only increase the emotional impact of images like the photo displayed below, which was taken by Lance Cpl. Andrew Thorburn on December 3. It shows Cpl. Cesar Rojas, a Marine with Battery L, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines, embracing his family after a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan. This wasn't just a reunion at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, either. While kissing his wife, Arielis, Cpl. Rojas is holding his five-month-old son, Gabriel, for the first time.

From happy homecomings to tragic knocks on the door from military messengers, the far-reaching spectrum of war grips Americans on a daily basis. Due to a distracted media and largely disengaged public, however, it is relatively easy for citizens without personal connections to Afghanistan or Iraq to avoid boarding this emotional roller coaster. Yet I continue to believe that just like on September 11, 2001, we are all in this conflict together. Our nation's military families often experience periods of worry, grief, pride, and elation during deployments. Their fellow Americans should too.

Image courtesy: Lance Cpl. Andrew Thorburn


Note: This post was updated on December 7 at 9:53 p.m. EDT.