ByrdLaw Memorial Day Post

    

    In honor of the brave men and women who put on the uniform of the U.S. Military or who have put on the uniform, I extend my sincere appreciation for your service and your sacrifice.  So many of our soldiers have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country, they have lost their lives through military exercises at home, the cowardly terrorist act by a former U.S. Army Major at Ford Hood, and through combat overseas.  None of us who has never served can truly understand the sacrifice that these soldiers go through.  Often, their lives are torn apart by ineffective mental health treatment upon their return.  Sometimes their wives or husbands turn away from them because of the strain that being away for so long puts on their relationship, and for some, they never come home.  

    The U.S. Military soldier faces a reality that not even the citizens of the worst neighborhoods in the country faces.  That is, every day, they have a very significant chance that they will not live to see another day.  That they will not see their loved ones, and their friends.  The story of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield is a reminder, a reminder that the threat of death does not end when they leave the battlefield.  Mr. Kyle and Mr. Littlefield were murdered in the most heinous way imaginable... by a fellow soldier, a marine.  While their deaths certainly were not the norm, it does highlight the risks that military service puts on these hero's life after combat.  The suicide rate among military service members and former military service members is astronomically higher than the regular American population. 

    Additionally, in the age of social media, military service members and their families face a new kind of threat.  The threat from Islamic and Anti-American extremists who would love nothing more than to kill an active duty military service member or an inactive service member.  Recently, the United States government learned of a "hit list" geared towards 100 military service members and their families, which even included their addresses.  This is a very real concern, and adds to the concerns of those who have served and have continued to serve in the military.  The U.S. military continues to be the most professional and effective military force on the planet, and it is because of those that serve, that we have all of the rights that we do today.  God bless the U.S. Military, it's servicemen and women, and the families of those who serve, or have lost someone who served. I make a personal dedication of this post to my father, John A. Byrd, who was lucky enough to retire from the United States Military.