A friend of mine, Richard, unexpectedly lost his wife, Elaine, three weeks ago. She hurt her back picking up a box, then developed complications that eventually killed her. Imagine losing your spouse under similar circumstances. She got treatment for a common injury; seemed to make progress; and suddenly was gone.
Now imagine that three weeks later your only child dies, too. That is exactly what happened to Richard this week. His son, Seth, had been in the military and was deployed in combat three time to Iraq and Afghanistan. Since he came home to try and reintegrate himself in into life here in the United States, it has been a struggle for him. To make matters worse, the Veteran's Administration has not been helpful at all until very recently. Apparently this is happening all over the country to returning soldiers and their families.
The very idea that we can send young men and women off to war to kill and be killed, and then have no support for them when they come home is anathema to me. We owe these returning soldiers and their families a debt of gratitude that includes meeting their every need as they try to transition from combat to home life. If we can't do that much for those who defend our very liberties, than perhaps we shouldn't be sending them at all.
Pray for Richard, and others in similar circumstances, in the days and weeks ahead, as he deals with the multiple tragedies of the deaths of his family members.
