For many, Remembrance Day is not easy. There are those among us who have direct experience with conflict and war. The memories of these experiences are often difficult to dwell on. Some have family and loved ones that were lost in combat. Others have been blessed to know peace and safety their whole lives. Each has their own reasons to remember.
There is an ongoing conflict in Afghanistan today that may seem distant and insignificant to a lot of the western world. Soldiers arrive to a culture that is so different. Hundreds of years removed from technology. The environment is often very hot and very dusty. Home is now at best a tent shared with several others. Showers and bathrooms are community style with no privacy.
Departing for a week long patrol convoy the next morning, a soldier has trouble sleeping. Thoughts of the danger then of loved ones back home rotate through the mind. The convoy proceeds. It is a long very rough and uncomfortable ride. The vehicle ahead hits an explosive. Two friends are killed; the others are injured with serious concussion.
At a forward operating base the medical team is notified of an incoming local Afghan trauma. The patient appears to be unconscious but not dead. The team quickly begin to assess the injuries. A young trauma nurse begins to remove the bandages from a serious leg wound and discovers explosives placed within the wound. The patient, who has now died, was to have detonated the device once inside the hospital.
A flu bug, or perhaps poorly prepared food, causes an outbreak of illness on base. Duties must continue. A rocket propelled grenade is successfully launched into the middle of the base. God protects those in the area and the device does not detonate. It is still seven months until going home.
Remember and pray for those that are involved in this conflict.
