Today is April 8th and this weekend I will have the privilege of celebrating Easter with my family and friends. This year we are hosting the annual Easter gathering at our home. It’s always lots of fun, we get to see everyone and catch up on how folks are doing. We fill our bellies with food (this year will be crawfish) and enjoy some adult beverages! I’m sure most of you have something planned for the Easter weekend. I hope you will remember our young men and women in uniform as you enjoy the weekend.

It really doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with the mission at hand. The bottom line is we have thousands of 18 – 25 year old soldiers who will spend Easter in Afghanistan or Iraq. Many are on their second and third tour of duty. The special men and women who give so much of themselves to ensure our safety and freedom deserve a few minutes of our time.

As you go about your Easter weekend I am asking that you commit to something for the benefit of our troops. Please take five minutes out of your day, get down on your knees and pray for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who sacrifice so much for us. Think back for a minute to when you were 18, 19, or 20ish. Think about what you were doing, now try to imagine serving an 18 to 24 month tour of duty in Afghanistan at that age or any age.

These kids spend there days dodging live bullets from people who hate them and want nothing more than to kill them. Road side bombs are a constant danger and suicide bombers are real. They live and do their jobs in the scalding hot desert. When on missions they sleep on the ground, wear the same clothes for weeks, don’t have the privilege of taking a shower and really don’t have the luxury of having a bad day. A bad day could cost them lives!

These young men and women have not spent time with their parents, wives, and/or children in months and like I said many are on their second or third tour. They took the oath, they love the US, and each and everyday they are battling for us and our children.

On Sunday as you get up and head to Church, take five minutes and remember them in your prayers. I’m hoping to inspire a few people to do some extra things such as send some care packages, send postcards or letters, get involved with a charity. The Wounded Warrior Project is a very noble charity that I discovered recently and would like to share. The Wounded Warrior Project is a non profit that is focused on:

  • Raising awareness and enlisting the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women,
  • To help severely injured service members aid and assist each other, and
  • To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members.

    • To date over 30 thousand soldiers have returned home wounded in the body as well as the mind. They need our help desperately but currently the resources aren’t available to handle the shear volume of health and mental problems caused by war. With the help of our citizens we can make a difference.