When I read the below posting, tears filled my eyes. Heartfelt encouragement these days is like warm chocolate chip cookies and a glass of cool milk to my soul. On a particularly rough day, it works like an oxygen mask!

I never thought my husband would go to war. I never thought he'd see violence. I never thought I'd stand by him as he tries to process the deaths of fellow soldiers. I never thought I'd face widows and mothers at wakes who are complete strangers but mean so very much to me. I never fully realized that the path to freedom is paved with many, many graves. Graves that hold the bodies of fathers, sons, wives and men who aren't even old enough to legally be trusted to drink beer (not that I'm for lowering the drinking age...just puts their age in perspective).

My husband's batallion has had three deaths since setting foot in Iraq in March. Last week a 19 year-old soldier, Kyle Miller, sacrificed his life for our country's call. The story, when it first broke in the news, ran at the bottom of the local section. Today, a small headline for a follow-up story ran under an article covering the GI alleged rapes. Having professional journalism experience, I can tell you that the placement of these stories greatly unsettles me. I can appreciate the fact that newspapers are consumer driven; but I also wish they would take a stand in our communities to give these men (and women) the honor they deserve when they die for us. It might not seem like a big deal to you today. But when a soldier dies, I stand firm to the belief that everything tied to that soldier's name should appear with the utmost dignity and honor.

I applaud Jules, Lauren, GiBee, and Susie for their contributions, time, and effort on this blog site. They will never know the full significance of what they are doing. As a military wife, I've become painfully aware of how deeply these deaths mark our families, communities, and the lives of the other soldiers serving with the memorialized.

If you never live with the fear of seeing a government car pull up to your front curb, consider yourself very blessed. Likewise, as we live with people who are willing to help us carry the memorial torch for our loved ones, we are very blessed as well.

In His Love,
Emily, Proud wife of SSG Daniel Bari, 134 BSB Charlie Company, MN Army National Guard soldier serving in Iraq