Welcoming Our Troops Home

WELCOMING OUR TROOPS HOME

Guest opinion submitted by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo

What uses 800 bread loaves, 13,000 soda cans, 660 gallons of milk, 180 dozen eggs, and detergent enough for 5,550 pounds of dirty laundry--all in a day's work? Answer: the 5,500 service members on USS Abraham Lincoln, a NIMITZ class air craft carrier, which has returned to its home port, Everett, Washington, after deployment to the Middle East. It has been deployed longer than any other ship in its class since the Vietnam War, setting sail on July 20, 2002. At the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the ship, which carries as many as 70 aircraft, served as support for strike missions, and completed its tour serving as an air support and protection missions base.

Idaho joins the nation in welcoming home our returning troops. Although Idaho has no Navy bases, over 450 men and women from its 26 Army Guard units, Mountain Home Air Force Base, and the Idaho Air National Guard are deployed overseas. Another 160 plus men and women are serving active duty as military security at Idaho installations to cover positions vacated by those who are deployed. There are countless others who, while not stationed here, are either from Idaho or are the friends or relatives of Idahoans.

Our military efforts in Iraq have been highly successful. The images of grateful Iraqi people have filled our televisions and newspapers. These scenes only reinforce the decision to strike against the threat to the U.S. posed by Saddam's government. Sadly, victory has a price--our nation has lost family and friends. Tragedies such as the death of Major Gregory Stone fill our hearts with a pride pierced by the poignancy of grief for a family left fatherless and sonless. Others who have sacrificed their lives in the course of their sworn duty, soldier or journalist, have also left a void that will never be filled.

Yet, we can find a measure of solace and gratitude in this fact: those precious lives were not lost in vain. The Iraqis who bear scars of physical or emotional torture inflicted by a regime bent on domination have expressed profound gratitude for the sacrifices made by our faithful military men and women. Idahoans can be proud of the continuing heritage of military service, exemplified by those currently serving and by their family members who are their source of support and strength through the long hours a duty day entails. The following words were penned by an Idaho Air National Guard Master Sergeant serving in the gulf: "Oh how you miss the variety and spectrum of colors. Each way you look as far as the eye can see is brown: brown sand, tents, buildings, uniforms…..oh how nice it would be to see the sparkle of sunlight bouncing off green leaves touched with the morning dew. Watching the glowing and shifting of iridescent colors of the morning sunrise and evening skies over the Idaho mountains; a sight that sooths your soul. Ahhhh, the smell of the air after a mountain shower with the fresh washed look of the trees and land spread out in the vista before you. These are all a true luxury to behold. You see it's not the malls or the hustle and bustle of busy streets we miss, it's the little things we miss the most."

We have a duty to soldiers to show support here at home. There are numerous opportunities for us to do so. A few minutes out of your day is all it takes to explore options through an armed forces or community source, and serve your country in an invaluable way.

As Iraq rebuilds, we also can reinforce our own sense of national unity and pride. We find this unity in the contributions we make to the greater good of our nation, in whatever form that may take. We have inherited a unique system of governance that must be preserved. The example you set will be an important lesson for the next generation, instilling in them respect for human dignity and belief in liberty and freedom embodied by the United States of America.