On the recordJune 28, 2013
This Sunday marks the fourth year since Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was reported missing in action in Afghanistan. It is on this sober occasion that veterans and concerned citizens across the United States will appeal to their government, asking those who have the means to find every unaccounted soldier, sailor, airman, marine, or guardsman and bring them home. Currently, less than 1 percent of the American population serves in the Armed Forces at any time. Though their sacrifice is great, many Americans are not touched by this on a personal level because the numbers of our servicemembers are so few. The men and women who step between us and those who would harm us are young, but they are brave and they are strong, so it's easy to forget that they are so young, filled with an ambition, passion, honor--and a full life ahead of them with unrestrained potential. Our troops are the children of concerned parents. Many of them are also parents of scared children, and that collective fear is endured by every family left behind. When warfighters do not come home, when they are held as captives or their whereabouts are unknown, the strain on loved ones is unbearable. All three of my sons are highly capable and well-trained soldiers, but every time they deploy, I worry about when they are away. My wife and I know the anxiety of Blue Star parents.…
