In the 10th Year of War, a Harder Army, a More Distant America

I read this article and thought I would share with everyone. It's long but thought it was worth sharing...

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/09/09/in-the-10th-year-of-war-a-harder-army-a-more-distant-america/

Happy Tuesday....

Oh yeah and tomorrow we are going to break through 100 days left until January! Whooo Hoooo!

WDEngagement

It's official! Hannah and Josh are engaged and as I like to coin the weekend as " War Damn Engagement!" For those of you who aren't from Alabama, WAR EAGLE is our Battle Cry! Read here for the full story! Anyway, lots of speculation was going on if Josh would propose this weekend or not. Reasons why it was the best weekend for Josh to ask Hannah to marry him ever....

1. Auburn and Clemson played for the first time since 2007. Hannah is an Auburn graduate and Josh is a Clemson alumni. Auburn and Clemson played a great game and AUBURN WON!

2. Hannah Warren...soon to be Chapman...LOVES football. Living with Hannah for officially two years and unofficially four, Hannah would wake up every Saturday morning to watch College Game Day. She can spit out Auburn Football history like it is her job. She loves Auburn football and college football in general.

3. All of Hannah and Josh's family were in town "for the game" and the weekend included a engagement party tailgate.

4. The last and the best is that Hannah was completely surprised! Josh really talked it up that it wasn't happening until next spring...needless to say..Hannah believed him!

I love these two and truly can say that they were made for each other. Congratulations you two!

Never the same

No one will ever forget where they were when the United States was attacked 9 years ago today. I was sitting in my history class at Green Bay Southwest High school. Each year that has passed since then I would say a prayer for those families that lost a loved one and ask God to protect our troops but that was about it.

This year it is different. It is personal. It is the reason why I haven’t seen Wyatt’s face in two months. A lot has changed in the past two months. I hate to admit it but I had my first break down about a week or two ago. Not breaking down because I miss Wyatt…which I do very much or because I am scared for him…which I am… but because I read somewhere that there were 7 casualties that particular day. As ignorant or immature as this might sound, it was the first time that when I heard the word casualty I associated it with real human beings. Ahhh I can’t believe I am admitting that. I am so embarrassed to be 23 years of age and just now realizing what a sacrifice our troops make for our country. It is easy to hide real lives behind a word like casualties. But that day I imagined those soldiers. That they were people that have a favorite football team, a place that they call home, friends that they drink beer and tell stories with. They have mothers and fathers. Brothers and sisters. And then, I imagined someone like me. Someone being head over heels in love with one of those soldiers and that’s when, for the first time, the tears came. I felt such empathy for those families. I was hurting for them. It is bringing me back to tears writing about it but I also know that those tears were a long time coming and it felt good to let them out. I think that it would not be normal to not have days like that and to feel that way when you really stop to think about it.

I will never be the same and I am forever changed. Today I again feel sadness for those who lost their lives that day and those who have since died protecting our country. You are not forgotten.