A Special Post on a Day to be Remembered

I don't usually post on Sundays, but today is a special day. Not only is it Veterans' Day, it is the 100th Anniversary of Armistice Day. At 11 AM on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. the guns of the War to End All Wars fell silent.

From what I have read, it was eerie. Explosions and gas and rumbling tanks -- everything fell silent in the trenches and behind the front lines.

Except, most likely, the screams.

War is brutal, and the scientific advancements of WWI made that war more devastating them some. Many died. Many were maimed. Many returned home. But none were unscathed.

War is brutal, and who can you talk to about it? The mindset of the early 1900s made hesitation synonymous with cowardice. It made men afraid to tell the truth about what they had seen and what they felt. Nightmares and nervous breakdowns were not labeled post traumatic stress; it was cowardice, weakness, shameful.

War is brutal, but hopefully we know better now. We understand PTSD is not cowardice. Of course men and women who serve in combat will be affected by what they have experienced, and no one this side of the line can fully understand what they feel when they come home.

If you are a veteran, you may know first hand that war is brutal. Please find someone to talk to. We love you and we're glad you're home. Don't let PTSD steal you away.

There is help available. Please reach out for help. Stop soldier suicide.

Soldiers in crisis and their families can reach out for help.

If you don't know a veteran personally, take some time to pray for those who have served during wartime and still bear the scars and for those who are serving now.