The monument on the riverwalk in Omaha, Nebraska, featuring four different sculptures commemorates the sacrifices made by Americans during World War II. The first two sculptures show a returning serviceman embracing his wife as the serviceman’s parents watch the joyful reunion. The scene also includes statues of Rosie the Riveter and a little boy pulling a wagon filled with scrap metal and rubber that he has collected to help the war effort. The monument reminds us of the sacrifices that were being made by all Americans to support the war effort.
Today, we don’t all share in the burden of waging the war on terrorism. But the men and women serving our military make sacrifices everyday.
I have read that during the Vietnam War approximately 10 percent of the men serving in the military were married. In today’s military, approximately 40 percent are married.
This Father’s Day, there will be a number of fathers and mothers who are deployed overseas and they won’t be enjoying the holiday with their children.
A few months ago a young dad returned from deployment and was being interviewed on TV. He said his youngest child was 3 years old and he had been deployed for 9 months or 25 percent of his son’s life. When his son came up to hug him, the little boy asked his dad what happened to his voice because it was different. The dad explained that this was his real voice and that Skype had made his voice sound different.
Let’s say a little prayer for all those military families who have someone deployed this year and cannot celebrate Father’s Day as a family.
