Keep those heroes in your thoughts and prayers

We’re hiring student interns and employees from around the country to work at lexBlog. I love the energy students bring to new enterprises while at the same time think if you have a great place to work, it can be wonderful practical work experience for a student.

Yesterday, I was talking to a student from Montana State University in Bozeman. He loved what we were doing, the passion he saw via our site and wanted to help out. But did not think it would be fair to get started because he just got a call that he may be deployed to Iraq this summer. He’s in the National Guard and already served in Bosnia. Though he would love to graduate in two more semesters and his wife being scared to death, he understands his commitment and is ready to serve again. I let him know we would be proud to have him on board and that my thoughts are with him.

We need to keep these men and women who serve our country in a time of war in our thoughts, hearts and prayers. But for their effort the things we take for granted would be at risk – flying from one city to the next, enjoying a sporting an event with tens of thousands of people and so much more that comes with an economy that benefits us all when we are free of the fear that immediately followed 9/11.

I do not know if I would have the courage they do. Growing up we discussed serving in Vietnam over the dinner table. It got to be very real when your birth date was assigned ’81’ by virtue of ping pong balls coming out of a machine like they do for lotteries these days. That meant my my draft status went from H1 to A1 and ribbing from classmates in my first semester at Notre Dame that I was on my way to Vietnam. I have to tell you that though I did not have anymore than fifteen bucks at anyone time, my thoughts were to hitchhike to Canada if D-day ever arose. Times may have been different in Vietnam days but the thought of dieing for your your country when you have your your whole life in front of you must be just as scary today.

So when you listen to Iraq news on the way home or read in your morning newspaper about a local soldier who was killed, pause for a second and remember what they are doing for you. When you are at work and not having a great day, think of those who are doing so much more – it helps me appreciate what I have.