I keep saying I’m not one to really discuss politics and for the most part I don’t even like to think about war or death but I ran across a post on Valentine’s day and it has been on my mind 
on and off ever since.
This is the last blog post by Major Andrew Olmstead who was killed in action in Iraq in early 2008. While soldiers throughout time have left letters for their families – several of his thoughts are sticking with me.
Major Olmstead realized there was a good possiblity that he would be killed.
He did not want his death to be used for political gain by either side of the issue of the war.
He felt that he would miss blogging because through writing he had met many interesting people.
He was also very aware of how his death would affect his wife.
This is the hardest part. While I certainly have no desire to die, at this point I no longer have any worries. That is not true of the woman who made my life something to enjoy rather than something merely to survive. She put up with all of my faults, and they are myriad, she endured separations again and again…I cannot imagine being more fortunate in love than I have been with Amanda. Now she has to go on without me, and while a cynic might observe she’s better off, I know that this is a terrible burden I have placed on her, and I would give almost anything if she would not have to bear it. It seems that is not an option. I cannot imagine anything more painful than that, and if there is an afterlife, this is a pain I’ll bear forever.
Multiply this by every lost soldier and their families – that’s a lot of love lost. Keep politics out of the discussion, just take the time to read Major Olmstead’s post or read it again if you have seen it before.
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