Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times
Theresa Thigpen's husband, Master Sgt. Thomas R. Thigpen, was 52. "I know I have to go," he told her.
May God bless and give victory to the United States Armed Forces. Say a prayer for the families of those who return badly wounded or don't return.
God bless this good father; he never left his boys!
The Honorable life of an American Soldier.
Though many of the comments in the article were designed to be ANTI-military - they did not attain that goal.
I'm 50 years old. I felt it necessary to resign my reserve officer's commission (USAR) in 1993 because I had developed a medical condition that I knew made me no longer a deployable asset to the army reserve. There has not a day passed since then that I haven't wished to be "back in the saddle." Especially so after 9-11. I mourn for the families of these men, but I can't help but feel a little envy of the men themselves - along with great admiration. I know that is a strange emotion, but I feel guilty that I am not there. It troubles me that I can't be there to help those those young folks. I understand the paternalistic feelings of these great men.
I thank God for these men, and I pray for His comfort to their families. I wished I could personally give them all a hug and say thank you for your father's, grandfather's service. They did the right thing.
Friends, any time you see a soldier/sailer,airman, marine, etc, regardless of their rank or age. You stop and shake their hadn and praise them for being in uniform. That is the best way I know to honor the dead like these.
The life of a soldier touches more than the battlefield. They are the best among us.