Support the Troops

I have heard it said that the biggest fear is public speaking. Since I get up and speak in public on a regular basis some might argue that I'm a pretty brave person. They might be right (whoever "they" are). However, I would suggest that anybody who is willing to go into an area where they may or may not try and kill and do their part in attempting to bring peace (or at least a cease fire) is somewhere around 100 times braver than me. Anyone who is serving, or has served in the military absolutely amazes me... if for no other reason than I don't think I'm capable.

This afternoon I had the privilege of preaching at a nursing home in Rochester. The volunteer who played the piano for us also graduated from St. Olaf. She graduated about 50 years before me. She was there during the war. She mentioned it was a different time then. No kidding! It really struck me when she mentioned that. We see signs and hear politicians say, "Support our troops!"

It sounds good doesn't it? Support Our Troops! You bet we do. Those men and women are amazing people and I am grateful for everything they do. Here's the problem I have: "Support Our Troops" doesn't appear to be much more than a slogan to me. What, honestly, are we doing to support our troops? The way things operate around this country you would hardly know we were a country at war. Here is a poster from WWII:


What have we sacrificed? How are we REALLY supporting the troops? What can we do? What should we do? How do we make it something meaningful, something more than a politically correct slogan that is spouted off to keep from being lambasted?