As a soldier that served over 23 yrs. in SF, I can't even begin to describe the difficulty it takes to cope with being away from your loved ones. There were several times for me, while deployed to some conflict in a different world far away from here, that my heart simply ached because I missed my wife and two sons so much. I would try to block it out so my focus would be on the mission at hand, but, God, it was so damn hard to fight through the process.
When we would get back to friendly lines after being in the "bite" for two weeks at a time, I'd look forward to reading two month old mail my wife sent me. Feelings of happiness would turn into longing while reading the letters where she described my children's first words, first steps, first homerun, first graduation from school, etc. Those were the ones that were always tough for me to deal with.
So, I'd made it a point to "adopt" several children while deployed. I'd bring those 5 lb bags of Sam's candy with me and hand it out whenever it was possible. I'd find some decent wood and build/repair some of the shanties that poor families lived in. I would even give away some of my rations so that they could have some decent food once in awhile. Their smiles, the happiness we shared, always made me feel better. And even though I couldn't block out all the pain regarding my own family, at least it helped me cope.
But all that sadness was quickly vanquished the moment you stepped off that plane and into the arms of your loved ones. What even made it more special for me was the applause we were getting from all the civilians while we made our way to the baggage claim when coming back from places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Those sweet, simple gestures are the kind of memories that you never forget - and why it made your sacrifice worth it.
So if you ever want to make a military member feel that his/her sacrifice is worth it, go out of your way to personally thank them for it.
Just that simple gesture will go a long ways in helping them to "cope".
De Oppresso Liber!
