Strength at Home (a letter to a soldier's wife)

Wall Street Journal ^ | August 18, 2004 | BEN STEIN

[OESY]

Dear Karen,

I have a great life.... When we sleep, we sleep in peace. When we wake up, it is to the sounds of birds.

All of this ... is thanks to your husband, his brave fellow soldiers, and to the wives who keep the home fires burning while the soldiers are away protecting my family and 140 million other families. They protect Republicans and Democrats, Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists. They protect white, black, yellow, brown and everyone in between. They protect gays and straights, rich and poor.

And none of it could happen without the Army wives, Marine wives, Navy wives, Air Force wives -- or husbands -- who go to sleep tired and lonely, wake up tired and lonely, and go through the day with a smile on their faces. They feed the kids, put up with the teenagers' surliness, the bills that never stop piling up, the desperate hours when the plumbing breaks and there is no husband to fix it....

The wives keep up the fight even when they have to move every couple of years.... And they keep up the fight to keep the family whole even when they feel a lump of dread every time they turn on the news, every time they switch on the computer, every time the phone rings and every time -- worst of all -- the doorbell rings.... But they are the power and the strength that keep America going. Without them, we are nothing at all. With them, we can do everything.

They are the glue that holds the nation together, stronger than politicians, stronger than talking heads, stronger than al Qaeda.

They deserve all the honor and love a nation can give. They have my prayers, and my wife's, every morning and every night....

[OESY]

Mr. Stein, a television personality and writer, is co-author with Phil DeMuth of "Can America Survive," forthcoming from Hay House.

[alwaysconservative]

I just love Ben Stein! Thanks for posting this wonderful article!

[mattdono]

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
-- Isaiah 40:31

EAGLES UP!

[mattdono]

Great article...important to remember what these men and women believe in doing their job.

The Soldier's Creed

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

Bump to all of the American soliders that live this creed.

[Txslady]

I'm so glad you posted this!! I just got through reading it in the WSJ. What a wonderful well thought letter.

I've made copies of it to pass on to others, along with emails to family and friends who have somebody or know somebody that is or has served in the Military including Iraq.

Thanks to our troops and their families for what they sacrifice for us here at home.

[Txslady]

bttt!