Day 61

And here we go again. Nothing new to report from Oz, today. It was a relatively quiet day. Same so-so food. Same everything. It was nice to wake up to some funny e-mails back and forth with Dorothy and a few other friends that got me laughing before I even got dressed for the day. Any day you can start out laughing is a day set out on the right foot.

Back in Kansas, though, I was reminded about a fallen soldier who is to be laid to rest today. By now, his body has already been escorted to the cemetary by the Patriot Guard and fully military honors rendered...and his parents handed his flag "on behalf of a grateful nation." Unfortunately, the newspaper back there hasn't paid much mind to it. Only a week ago, a Marine died within a day of this soldier and was laid to rest one county south of me in Kansas. Zero news in our paper about him. So this got me thinking..and more and more upset. I started to dig...certainly in this technology age we all live in, the names of our country's fallen must be listed somewhere. Sure enough, they are. At first, I checked the Army website. Nothing. Then I went to the Department of Defense website and found it: http://www.defense.gov/releases/ Hardly does a day go by when someone is not killed here in Oz. Almost always, it's via IED (improvised explosive device). Some days it's one name and some days it's four names. Every name has a family tied to it and a long line of impact that each person's death will have. When you go to this website, you'll see their name, age, hometown, the unit they're attached to, and how they were killed and where. It is numbing, friends. This is where my blood began to boil. Our country has essentially no knowledge of these fallen brothers and sisters. Unless something "major" happens, no one outside the town they hail from finds out. I would think that in a very anti-war climate that our country is in right now, the leaning-left media would plaster this all over the news. If they did, it is my opinion that there would be far more outcry to bring our people home and to not be involved in the wars we are. I am not taking a stance either way. I am in uniform and I have taken an oath to support the Constitution and obey the orders of the Commander in Chief. My opinion is mute. It simply makes no sense at all. The media insists on broadcasting garbage about congressman tweets and Lady Gaga's wardrobe malfunctions rather than stuff that matters and the U.S. public therefore doesn't know any better. Please note: I am pointing the finger at myself, too. Until today, I had never been to this Defense website. I had no idea. All the time I spend on technology-driven devices and connected at the hip to my iPhone and yet, I paid no attention. I am certainly ashamed of that...especially since I wear the uniform.

So today, I've added a link and pic on the right to the Defense website that releases each day as service-members give the ultimate sacrifice. Seeing this nearly daily occurence, it makes me think that every day should be Memorial Day, don't you agree? It is even more justification for flying Old Glory every single day and not a few days a year when "everyone else is doing it." If nothing else, take a moment and visit the site and put your own eyes on their names. You can't help but be impacted by it.

As the day ended, I just sat in my room...knowing I should go run and feel better but I really didn't want to. I just wanted to be a lazy bum and watch the tube. But, I told myself that never have I ever regretted a run. I laced up and headed out just as the sun was setting behind the mountains. The moon was out, though...54.3% of it, to be exact. I had a very good and easy 6 miles before heading to the dining facility for a quick salad that I ate in my room...and I think my 6th or 7th bottled water of the day.

Back home, today is Tin Man and Scarecrow's last day of school. To me, this is more of a milestone than Day 60 because in my mind, that's how I'm breaking my deployment up. I have their different major events on a calendar and I look forward to them...with them...from afar. Camp, VBS (several of them), and even the county fair. They're like little landmarks to reach and be excited with them but as they end, I'm a little bit closer to home. To me, this is a little easier and less depressing than counting down days. To me, it should seem faster...we shall see. For now, though, the yawns are growing in number so it's bedtime.

Goodnight, everyone.