“Was it worth it?”
This is a question, sometimes politically-loaded, that is often asked of family members and war buddies of our Fallen Heroes.
Marine Corps General John Kelly recently offered a unique perspective. A veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan himself, General Kelly lost his youngest son, First Lieutenant Robert Kelly, while conducting combat operations in Helmand Province in 2010.
General Kelly was asked if the loss was worth it by a reporter with National Public Radio. He said, quote:
“I think what I tell families now is the only person really that has a right to answer that question – was it worth it? – is the young man or woman that lost their life. And I believe what they would say is that they were doing what they wanted to do. They were where they wanted to be. So that’s the answer, I think, to that question. It’s not for us that survived to answer it. I think it’s for those young people to answer. And I think they do answer it with their actions and obviously their lives.” – Unquote.
Who can deny the heartfelt wisdom and logic of General Kelly’s words? But just as we should not presume to speak for the Fallen, we can make the country for which they have died a better place – one that honors their sacrifice and epitomizes the ideals enshrined in our Constitution. [Continue reading]
