Support Our Troops.

This week, I thought our community would come together to rally behind our troops and support them by raising money to send care packages to them. I called a friend of ours who I knew would have some army memorabilia and boy, did he have stuff for us.

My daughter and I drove to Wilmington to pick up the stuff and couldn’t wait to set it up and begin raising money.  It was really cold outside so we decided to wear our snow pants, thick sweaters and hats.  We had a sign up sheet with: Name, Email address and Amount Given columns for people to fill out.

The response was divided. Some people gave us money but made mention that they are not in support of the war. Others gave us money and thanked us for what we were doing. One neighbor approached us and said, “Well I don’t support the war. I believe if we keep giving them money, they’ll stay there but if we don’t send them anything, they’ll come home”. I explained to him that we were in no way making a political statement but were out there in support of our troops because they are fighting for our freedom to agree or disagree with the war.

At the end of the day, I thought I’d ask Watertown Police to be our accountability partner and point us in the right direction to accomplish our goal. See when people give you their money you need to be accountable to someone. But I was shocked at the police’s response. The officer asked me why I wanted them involved. He proceeded to tell me that they have their own programs and in the meantime, I tried injecting my purpose for the call but he wouldn’t hear of it. He smugly told me that if I wanted to send money to our soldiers, I should go to the post office.  Well, Edna and Brian were the last two donors and they were our accountability partners. We had collected $ 115 and were exhausted.

 My heart goes out to every mother who has lost a son or a daughter. To every dad who will never go fishing with his son again. To every wife that goes to bed crying. To every husband who holds a picture instead of his wife. To every child who asks, “Mommy when is daddy coming home?” To every child who asks, Daddy, “When is mommy coming home to make dinner?" To every American who holds a flag in place of a loved one. I salute you and thank you from a mother’s heart for your sacrifice.

As a nation we don’t say thank you enough. My daughter and I have resolved to say thank you every time we see a man or woman in uniform. We pray for God's protection over them in every foreign land. We pray for God's provision for their families left behind. And for a speedy return home, safe from the terrors of war.  We support our troops.  SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.