No Greater Sacrifice

Today I witnessed one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have seen in a long time. I watched as a young soldier, one of four on our flight today, said goodbye to his family as he boarded the plane. The whole scene caught me very off-guard, I was just doing my usual thing at the airport, headed for my gate, but as I arrived I caught a glimpse of this young man's face as I scanned the area for a place to sit. At first I just looked away, I did not want to watch, but yet I kept looking back. The sheer agony on his face, the way he held his wife and looked at his two sons (I'm guessing they were around two and four) was almost more than I could take just watching. As they called for the final groups to board, I saw him draw them close for one final embrace and as he held the younger son in his left arm, he wrapped his right arm around his wife and the older one hugged his leg. Her face exhibited a somber strength, no doubt the strength she will need until he returns and his face showed sheer agony, pure and simple. I don't know that I'll ever understand the emotions I was witnessing (I pray I never do), but my appreciation for our soldiers and their families changed today.

PS - During the short trip the flight crew acknowledged the presence of the soldiers and told us that they are all headed to Iraq. I pray God keeps them safe and they can return soon.