Many Pay A Price

I wrote yesterday's post about my friend Pete Yount, who gave his life for our nation. In the nine years since his death, Pete's daughters are rapidly moving toward adulthood. His widow Janet has done an outstanding job raising them as a single parent. We still keep up with them and they make somewhat regular trips from the East Coast to visit here.

Janet has carried her grief and loneliness with courage and has taught her daughters to live in a way that their dad would be proud of. It is important to remember the price that they pay still today.

I was reminded of this yesterday when I received a message from another Marine pilot's wife thanking me for what I wrote. Her kind words unlocked a treasure of memories tucked away in my heart. During Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), she was one of a handful of wives who were in our Small Group. Their husbands were all serving, placing themselves in harm's way for our country.

I can remember distinctly how this wife asked Cathy and me not to show up at their house unannounced while her husband was away. "You are on my list of people to be immediately notified," she said. "If you show up unexpectedly (they lived just a few blocks away), I will think you are there to bring me bad news."

Her husband and a few others made something very clear when they arrived back at home... "Our wives and families are the real heroes!"

Cathy and I consider it a great honor to know so many of these who willingly pay such a steep price that we might be free.