I've have become hypersensitive to any military news stories... And I think it makes sense, since it has become part of my everyday reality. Today though, I read a story that literally brought me to tears. The reporter followed a major that had a very important but difficult duty to perform... He was responsible for notifying the families of marines that are killed. He spoke of the initial reactions when families see him at their door... the immediate realization and the instant sense of overwhelming grief that rips through a mother or a young pregnant wife... He stays and comforts the grieving family for as long as they need him, even months and years afterward... And then the care with which the body of fallen hero is treated and guarded... The marines that feel it's as much their duty to comfort and protect his family as it is to go on the front lines and face the danger...
I cried first because of the thought that I could be in the place of the young pregnant wife... The life growing within me as the only living part remaining of the man I loved... Then I cried to see the love that was expressed for a fallen colleague and that no amount of trained hardening could harden their hearts to the grief... I know it's not always this warm when dealing with the military, but it is beautiful to see that underneath all the pomp and circumstance, there is humanity.
