Some don't rest on Labor Day

by
Chaplain Kathie

Tomorrow is Labor Day, but as we go about enjoying the day off, for those with a job, there are some who never get a day off. They work even longer hours than I do. They are working right now in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are the men and women in the military, Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, regular military, National Guards and Reservists. Say what you will about the necessity of Iraq and now even Afghanistan, but you cannot honestly deny these men and women serve for the good of the country, no matter if the county's leadership is right or wrong, they serve for us.

They accept the risk and expect the best out of us in return, but we've fallen so far from living up to their expectations that I don't know how we'll ever deliver on what they need from us. Some in this country cannot seem to be interested in any of them, so, since this is a slow news day, let's try to personalize it.

You live all your life knowing what you want to do for a living. You read everything you can about it. You plan for it. Your entire life is dedicated to doing it. You train for it. You dress for it. You adapt to all of your co-workers and find some friends there. The entire company begins to feel more like a family soon after. While on your job, you have to travel away from your family and friends, your favorite places, and end up in some strange place where you have to learn all kinds of local customs. You have a dangerous job, but you knew that from the start. It's a job that has to be done and you believe with all your heart it's what you were meant to do.

In the process of doing your job, some of your friends get hurt on the job. You see them being carried away and from that second on, you always think of them, wondering how they are, where they are and how they are doing. You also wonder if you'll be next. Then it happens. You ended up being carried away. You think it's just a small injury that can be taken care of and then you can go back to work. You find out, there was another injury that came with it and you'd never be able to do your job again or any other job. All you ever wanted to do was what you were doing. It was going to be your career for the rest of your life. Now, it's all gone.

This is what happens when they are in the military and end up wounded by catastrophic wounds preventing them from staying in the military or working any other job. In the civilian world, you file a workman's comp claim and get social security disability. Sure you have to wait but your medical needs are taken care of under workman's comp and your medical insurance. In the military, the DOD takes care of everything until you are discharged. After all, they don't keep you on their books forever. Then you are trapped waiting in the between world of soldier and civilian, DOD and VA.

Not only do you have to wait for the checks to pick up and catch up to you, you have to wonder what you're supposed to do with the rest of your life when this was all you ever wanted to do. You're also unemployed.

The rest of us have that same problem. We know our jobs can end at any time and that is really frightening. We know our family needs that paycheck and we worry about when we cannot provide for them. Now that it is on a more personal level, think about what it's like knowing you did what you did for the country.

Tomorrow as you go off shopping or taking it easy for the day, think about them without a day off so far away from home and then make them a promise that from tomorrow on, you'll try to pay attention to what's happening to them while they are in Iraq and Afghanistan and what happens to them when they come home needing us for a change. While we worry about losing our jobs because of cut backs and closures, they have to worry about losing their jobs because they were wounded while doing it.