Freedom from effort in the present merely means that there has been effort stored up in the past.

— Theodore Roosevelt

Whether we like it or not, this country is the target of many hostile forces.  The US military are the people who stand guard over our safety and security.  As horrific as September 11^th was, we’ve had soldiers deployed throughout the world since World War II.  Even in “peace time” our soldiers are visible signs of our strength and influence throughout the world.  This makes them the target that can be attacked, without warning, at any time, for any reason.  This has always been the soldier’s role.  Today, with an all-volunteer military, these soldiers have chosen to stand for us against all enemies.  They keep us safe and secure.

There’s Nothing Free in Preserving our Freedom

Safety and security cost.  They cost in the price that our military families pay when their loved one chooses to take a leave from work to keep us safe and secure.  The cost isn’t just the physical, spiritual and emotional harm that the soldier faces.  It’s also paid in:

• deferred dreams for the entire family – living on a soldier’s salary isn’t easy
• lack of a father or mother in the early formative years – soldiers who are strangers to their own children because the child was too young to remember them or was born while they were away
• being unable to help out when a parent becomes ill
• spending down life savings/giving up retirement to support a soldier who has been injured

These sacrifices are less obvious to those of us who get to continue to live our lives as if the danger doesn’t exist because the soldier is doing his job.

A High Standard of Caring

Military commanders understand the stresses that affect soldiers every day.  Significant work has been done to help the troops with these stresses.

One of the most shattering things that can happen to a soldier serving at the front is to be wounded.  The bad news is that for those that survive, the wounds are more devastating than ever before.  The good news is that the physical and emotional care that the military provides to the wounded soldier and the family is better than it’s ever been.

About six weeks ago, Justin Crabbe was wounded in Afghanistan.  He took one step too far and woke up in the military hospital in Bethesda.  None of his limbs was unaffected.  He has lost both his legs above the knee and fingers of both hands.

You have probably read of how new battlefield treatments stabilize the wounded soldier and get them to medical care more quickly than ever before.  An intricate system of stabilizing procedures moves the soldier from the war zone to the next evac unit or hospital.  They are quickly moved through the process that gets them back to a major medical facility in the states.

The military also realizes that every wounded soldier needs an entire support team to get them through the recovery process.  When a soldier is seriously wounded, the immediate family is flown to the medical facility where he will be treated.  They are provided with some financial assistance to be able to stay and support the soldier, but not nearly enough.  It just isn’t possible to pay for everything.  This means that the soldier’s family uses up their vacation time at work and spends their savings to be able to stay with the soldier.

Treating someone with such severe injuries is a delicate balancing act of surgeries with recovery time.  The doctors and nurses are truly dedicated to the patients and their families.  For some reason, when Justin got to Bethesda, his blood pressure would drop for no apparent reason.  He would seem to be doing fine and then go into a crisis.  His medical team was available to the family 24/7.  After several of these crises, they were able to determine that Justin had a hole in his heart – not the result of his other wounds, an undiagnosed defect he has had since birth.  It is dedication and talent like this which has led the family to believe that nowhere else in the world could Justin receive better care.

Many to Care For

To us, Justin is special.  I’ve never met him, but I know his mother and she is one of the most optimistic and positive people I have ever known.  The family publishes a blog about Justin’s journey.  While at times they have been worried about his survival, they believe that as a team they will overcome the challenges before them.  They are a true example of the power of resilience to make a difference.

Neither Justin nor his family would claim that they are somehow special in the challenges they face.  Their blog is filled with references to other soldiers that are now part of their extended family.  Many of them are other patients at Walter Reed.  I tell you his story not because he is unique, but because he isn’t.

He is one of thousands who have been severely wounded.  Because we don’t see most of these stories, we live oblivious to the true cost of our safety and security.  These soldiers don’t ask for special attention.  They were “just doing their jobs.”  But, if you don’t live near a military hospital, or personally know of someone who has been injured, the reality probably doesn’t touch you.

Veteran’s Day is Friday.

As a nation, we are the best in so many things.  We’re generous with our time and money for others who have been touched by tragedy.  Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis – we respond to them all.  We have a silent storm that is unseen in this country.  It is the thousands of soldiers who are recovering from their personal storm and the families who support them.  They don’t need our blankets and shoes, but they do need our love and support.  This Veteran’s Day weekend, please take the time to learn more about Justin and other wounded warriors.  Then figure out how you can help.

To learn more about Justin Crabbe, click thecrabbereport.blogspot.com.

To learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project, click support.woundedwarriorproject.org.

For a personal story of valor in the struggle with PTSD and how dogs help in that fight, read Until Tuesday.