My brother-n-law has been a part of the Marine Core for many years now. I have witnessed the toll that Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom has taken on his family. In the years he has spent as a marine he has become a husband and a father to two wonderful boys. My sister stays faithful to him and has since she was a teenager. She has kept their family going through deployments that have lasted longer than expected while raising their sons and blazing her own trail as a mother.
Recently, my brother-n-law Sgt. Aaron Pledger came home from his fourth deployment to Afghanistan. His group 2/9 weaponry arrived in Jacksonville, North Carolina with open arms ready to see their loved ones. During the homecoming I had the chance to catch up with a mom of a marine who was overcome with happiness at her son’s return. Sadly, her son would have to leave shortly after his arrival in order to visit the funeral of a family member. That is the nature of life and though it made his homecoming bittersweet, the hole that their family was feeling could be eased with the presence of her son.
Wives that I spoke with told me that they passed the days of the deployment by staying busy working, taking classes and being with family and friends. Loneliness crept in from time to time and surrounding their selves with productive activity and good people eased their burden. The lingering desire to be with their marine and to know that he was okay was always at the forefront of their mind. However, they understood that he had a duty to fulfill for our country. Many of their hearts wishes were fulfilled at the homecoming and witnessing it will forever be one of my best life experiences.
The efforts that our military put forward must be upheld on the home front as well. We are all constantly squabbling over what our government is doing but rather than being involved in the politics of war we should focus on the individuals who sacrifice in order to protect us. We may not agree with our government but the young men and women who sign up for war are acting in accordance to their contracts. It is their job, just as it is our job to respect them and their families for the sacrifices that they make. I am grateful to you all and I dedicate this to the fallen.
“We make War that we may live in Peace.”
Aristotle
