Not To Be Taken For Granted...

MH-53E Sea Dragon

Several things have happened in the military world recently that have been so disheartening.
The first was the news that al Qaeda was enjoying a resurgence in Anbar province in Iraq. Many American lives were lost years ago as we struggled to wrest control of the area from al Qaeda's grip. For the most part, we succeeded. But the Iraqi government has not been able to maintain control.
It seems like we've lost a lot of the gains we made over the past ten years.
Two other items that absolutely broke my heart are the consecutive helicopter crashes.
On Tuesday, a chopper crashed on the eastern side of the UK, killing 4 U.S. Air Force Servicemen. Then, in a completely unrelated incident, 2 Navy sailors died in a training incident off the coast of Virginia. 2 others were rescued, but 1 was lost at sea. The search for his body has now been called off.
Incidents like these do happen, though not normally all in the same week.  
It reminds us how fragile and fickle our lives can be. And I can't say this enough- SUPPORT OUR VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY! Every day, even if they're not in a war zone, they go out and risk their lives for our protection, and we can't take that sacrifice for granted. We need to let them know how much they are appreciated. Thank you, Thank you all active duty and former military!