On that day, when I first heard, and saw, I set for a while, numb with disbelief, then slowly more and more livid with anger. I called the local Army recruiter and asked if there were any way I could reactivate my commission and return to active duty. He asked for my age, and a few other pertinent facts, then kindly suggested that perhaps I should let younger men and women carry the burden on this one. He mentioned that he had been swamped with calls from many veterans who also wanted to don once again their war gear and take the war and their anger to the enemy. He thanked me for my call and asked that I support the troops where possible.

The recruiter was right. The younger men and women of our military have carried the burden well and are continuing to do so. We, as a country, have dealt death and destruction to our enemy. We have extended help and friendship to those who wish to work with us in stamping out the festering evil of a death cult. We are not done yet. Perhaps we never will be done fighting evil, for evil seems to be always present, but if God is willing and the creeks don’t rise, we will chase it back into the corners and cracks of the world to the dark, dank places where it whimpers and gibbers in the cold darkness. But we should never, ever forget that eternal vigilance is the price of security.