Meet My Soldier

It’s been a rough week on our military and their families. We have dealt with an anti-war protest that included the police being told to stand down during an incident with spray paint and then we discovered that William Arkin considers our troops “mercenaries”. For that reason, I would like to introduce you to one of those so called mercenaries: my husband. My husband Carl grew up in a very small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Carl joined the Army at the age of eighteen for two reasons: First, to get some kind of training that would give … Continue reading

My Response To William Arkin Of The Washington Post

I have pretty thick skin when it comes to those who protest the war and even those who bad mouth the troops. I spent a year writing a column in Greenville, Michigan, during my husband’s deployment to Iraq. I refused to write under any name but my own, though I was encouraged to do so for my own protection. I don’t like being bullied and I refused to hide or be ashamed of my husband’s service. This week, even my thick skin was penetrated to the core of my being as I found the same link in my email three … Continue reading

Is There Ever a Time to Be Violent?

Many Christians have asked themselves this very question. While in the midst of a war, I’ve heard other Christians bring up the question, “Do you really think Jesus agrees with the violence? What would Jesus do?” If we believe what the Bible says about Jesus in Colossians 2:9, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Then we can look back through the Bible and read, even from the Old Testament, the character of God. The instruction God gave the children of Israel to claim their promised land might have some people questioning the gentle heart of … Continue reading

Education News

There are two topics that I believe are worthwhile to write about today. A recent study conducted by Save the Children found that over 43 million children in war torn regions around the world are being kept from going to school. The reasons that these children are being denied an education are not just due to lack of resources or their families need for the children to stay at home to work, as is a reality in many parts of the world. The main reasons that these children have little hope for a strong future is because bombs have crushed … Continue reading

September 11…

Five years ago seems like a long time ago. For those who lost loved ones, each day has probably crept by with the pain and suffering associated with a grievous loss. Our entire nation felt that at some level, losing our innocence as we sat glued to our televisions watching the still unbelievable events unfold. Now five years later schools struggle to determine what the appropriate message is that they want to give to their students about September 11, 2001. Just as the attack on Pearl Harbor is known as “A Day That Will Live in Infamy”, 9-11 is a … Continue reading

Operation Military Kids

Remember when summer camp meant being bussed to a lake surrounded by cabins; where you would participate in arts-and-crafts; learn how to paddle a canoe; and stuff your face with s’mores? Nowadays, there seems to be a specialized camp for everything and everyone. From Space Camp to Weight Loss Camp, Foreign Language Camp to Bible Camp and now… Military Camp. Before you get the wrong idea, this camp is not a place parents send their wayward children, rather it is a summer camp program specifically designed for youngsters whose parents are heading off to war. Its official name is: Operation … Continue reading

Anti-War Songs

I realized the other day, when I read a headline that death metal band Six Feet Under had released a new protest song titled “Amerika the Brutal” (about lead singer Chris Barnes’ cousin who fought in Iraq) that I have always loved protest songs. That is not to say that I myself am a protester. I almost always support the government in its actions and I most definitely support the troops. I did not realize it that many of the folk songs I grew up with during the Sixties and early Seventies were actually protest songs. My parents had Kingston … Continue reading

What if Your Home was in a War Zone?

My thoughts and prayers go out to every person trying to survive in a war torn country. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but the turmoil throughout the world today is so intense that hearing about each conflict, each outbreak of violence, is heartbreaking. I have very strong opinions about politics, foreign policy, the UN, and the various conflicts, but my biggest concern is for the people caught up in all of it. It breaks my heart to watch news footage and observe all the human suffering. People are people no matter where they live, no matter … Continue reading

Projects to Support Our Troops

People have differing opinions about the war, but most people agree that the men and women that make up each of our armed forces are brave individuals, worthy of our gratitude. If your children would like to support our troops, or you want to teach them ways to show gratitude, please consider sending some items through the Any Soldier program. You can send gifts, but your children can also make cards and write letters, which would mean a lot, especially to those soldiers that don’t get very much mail or don’t get any at all. That’s how the Any Soldier … Continue reading

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: What causes it?

Most people have heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It was the Vietnam War that really put PTSD on the psychological map of the average person in the street. Veterans of that war became increasingly vocal about the aftereffects of the war, not only physical, but psychological. The disorder slowly became recognized, both by the health community and the general public alike. It was given a name: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Of course, PTSD has existed from the time humans first roamed the earth. After the First and Second World Wars, it was referred to as “shell-shock” and most people are … Continue reading