What we don't see...

Recently I have been doing a great deal of reading involving military history, manoeuvres (w/ positive and negative outcomes), weaponry and so on. When I was asked why? not long ago the simple and straight answer was; military and war interests me. Just that simple it is like being a civil war buff or a car buff; "so Biff wants to be a Buff"….that kind of thing.

Anyway the other reason that just came up recently as to why I am doing this is that I am working on a story or article if you will, about soldiers in today’s day and age. Not to release anything I will keep the core of it to myself.

No matter if you disagree with the wars at present or war in general we all have to support the troops. They do something they take pride in and believe in and even if some of them don’t believe fully in the reasons for certain wars, they still fight as it is what they were meant to do. It’s what they train for and want to do and they do so with their life on the line and require our support for that reason alone.

During my research I have not only read a great deal of articles and stories online I have also been watching historical movies (only the ones that actually have truth to them, not Navy Seals with Charlie although I do like that movie) and documentaries also first hand videos on Youtube by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. I suggest if you ever wonder what war looks like to take a look.

Obviously it is nowhere near what it would be like to be there but it gives you a small window of perspective. I will also state that if you chose to look at them, do be careful. If you do not want to see anything too graphic stick to the videos that do not have warnings stating: Graphic Material or similar phrases, some of it is hard to watch. The ones that don’t usually depict soldiers that were nearly hit by IEDs, fire fights in streets, air strikes and so on.

Now although I am not done I wanted to write this because there is a major part of a soldier’s life that is left behind when they head overseas. Family, friends, and children wait and hope that their loved one will be back safe and sound.

Last night I was watching a special on the doctors who left Canada to help those in Afghanistan. They showed the story of an afghan boy who was near an IED when it went off and was severally injured and now will be scared for life mentally as well as physically. And most of us say (I was one of them) "this is hard to watch" but this is someone’s reality as we see it through a television screen.

That was not where I wanted to go right now but it is part of it. Reason being is that I came across this picture and story (which follow) this morning and couldn’t even go on reading anymore. None of the most graphic videos I have watched (and I have watched many) from these wars ever hit me as hard as the story last night and this story did;

Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News; picture and story I used from this link.

The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted."