“I went to see what I had shot at, and there was an eight-year-old girl there. I tried my best to bring her back to life, but there was no use,” Michael Goss stated as he talked about how he had begun his new life back home from war with PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. His team had been doing their job of shooting trespassers, but didn’t realize there was a family of six trying to get to safety. Michael would be forever changed.

Everyday soldiers like Michael are having to kill little kids, little boys and girls that have been trained to kill the Americans since they were able to talk. I have heard other stories about these things happening and it makes me think about how we have the good life, but we don’t realize it.

One of my teachers once told me a story about how her friend had to shoot a little boy, about five, holding the gun pointed right at him. It was either his life, or this little boy’s. Which one would you choose? This fight for our safety, going on overseas, is sad and painful for these US heroes, and most don’t even get a simple thank you.

I believe that it is time to honor these soldiers. There are many different ways to do this that don’t take a lot of time out of our day. Different ways to honor them would be when you say the Pledge of Allegiance, include them in your prayers, buy one’s lunch when you see them in an airport, or even taking some time during the day to think about their great bravery. Sometimes encouragement is all a soldier needs to make their day, or even their life, a little better. Knowing somebody appreciates and cares for you can influence your life a lot. Now would be the time to honor these military heroes. Now and forever.