Wanted...Dead or Alive

So, Osama Bin Laden is dead. The world's most wanted man, who most of us thought was hiding in some cave in some big ol' mountain was really hangin' out in a pretty decent "compound" within walking distance of a Pakistani Military base. He had some of his wives with him, some of his kids. He had televisions, computers and even people who ran errands for him. And guns - he had guns. Hiding in plain site really. It took our Intelligence many years to track him down, but we did...just like we said we would.

People were actually cheering in the streets. While my head completely understands that, my heart is a little weighted by it. It makes me think about the extremists who were undoubtedly cheering in the streets as the images of the Twin Towers crumbling to ground were broadcast over and over again all over the world. This man's (coward's) death makes me realize that although this was the revenge that so many people thought would bring closure...it actually seems to have reopened many wounds. The fallen will not come back because of this. The wounded are still wounded. The hero's of our military will not pack up their tents and head home. There is still a war going on. One man does not make the war on terror. He was, in the end, just one man, with only one life to give after having taken thousands. I think back to that December day in 2003 when the U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein. The world seemed to breath a sigh of relief, but the Iraq war raged on for several more years. In fact, the post-Hussein era were some of the darkest days of that conflict. To think that this post-Bin Laden era might be different could be foolish. While it's a relief that this evil man is no longer capable of harming another family, we must understand that his ideology is still prevalent in some parts of the world...perhaps even somewhere in the United States.

The events of 9/11 have changed our nation forever. In my opinion, the death of Osama Bin Laden has not. Honestly, that man's life became irrelevant to me a long time ago. Maybe we should think of it this way...by the time our special forces surrounded his compound and made sure that the last thing he saw was an American Soldier, he was already a nobody.

While I hope and pray that this is a turning point, we still have men and women deployed. Americans who need our continued support. Please don't forget about them. Please don't let them down. There sacrifice and courage is something that can never be repayed. Keep praying. You better believe this Marine Momma will.

Miss you Luke, & Matt...be safe.

Good To Go,
Proud Marine Mom x2