It took me some time to find the words to share with all of yo | realannapaulina

It took me some time to find the words to share with all of you what this meant:

I was invited to attend a memorial celebration this weekend for SSG Ryan Christian Knauss. Ryan was one of the 13 service members killed in the Afghanistan withdrawal but he was so much more than just a headline. He was a son, a brother, a husband, and lion heart.

This connection with the military, our military family, is more than just talk. For our family (both Andy and me), it’s personal. As you all know, both Andy and I had a several friends killed in action over the last decade as the US started to wind down action in Afghanistan. Many of our friends who made it back, may have come back physically, but mentally they were gone. It was their families (and them) who ended up paying the price of a decades long war.

For Andy and me, after he was shot, I would be lying if I said we didn’t struggle in our own marriage. It was hard. War leaves long term wounds that will stay long after the war is over. We were lucky, but the fact is most are not so lucky and we saw many of our friends/teammates/military colleagues have their marriages and families destroyed. Substance abuse, suicide, and broken souls.

There are only a few who will ever understand what I’m talking about. The fact is, war hurts those that we love the most. The sacrifice the service men and women make on a regular basis as part of the “job” is something that to most cannot bear but it’s the families who also absorb every single decision that leadership makes.

It is our duty, as a nation, to ensure that these 13 are never gotten.
It is our duty as a nation to take care of our veterans, especially those that have seen war… but more importantly, our duty as a nation to ensure that the families are not left behind.

God will speak to you in special ways if you’re open to listening. I learned this as I dealt with the passing of my Father in January and as I was on this hike, I listened… and he spoke. When you get a chance, do what you can to help the veteran community. Do what you can to help be there for the Gold Star Families, but more importantly, understand and honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

We are a blessed nation but with great freedom comes great responsibility. Only through true understanding can we begin to heal the wounds so many have and ensure that no one is left behind.