Always be mindful of soldiers’ service, sacrifice for country

Published 5:00 am Monday, August 10, 2009

Too often in going about our daily lives, with our individualtroubles and concerns, we become desensitized to headlines andnewscasts telling of the latest casualties during the wars inAfghanistan and Iraq.

Our self-focused blinders tend to be removed only when one ofthose casualties involves someone from our state or a communityclose by. It is an unfortunate circumstance, but one that bearssome truth.

The realities of the wars hit home this past week with news ofthe deaths of two Mississippi National Guardsmen in Afghanistan anda state Army sergeant in Iraq.

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Sgt. Severin Summers, 43, of Bentonia, and Sgt. AlejandroGranado, 42, of Longview, Texas, were assigned to a MississippiArmy National Guard special forces battalion when they were killedby an improvised explosive device in Qole Gerdsar, Afghanistan.Army Staff Sgt. Johnny Roosevelt Polk, 39, of Gulfport, died lastweek from wounds sustained in an anti-tank grenade incident July 23in Kirkuk, Iraq.

Though he served in Bentonia as a recruiter, Summers lived inNatchez with his wife and daughter. He was on his second tour ofduty in Afghanistan.

The Guardsmen’s deaths occurred as a military police unit fromMississippi prepared to deploy to Iraq. Other units from the state,including Brookhaven’s Company E, 106th Brigade Support Battalionthat deployed earlier this year, are already in Iraq andAfghanistan.

The deployed and departing soldiers understand full well therisks that accompany the sacrifices they are making in service ofour country. Those risks include serious bodily injuries from whichthey could never fully recover and the ultimate sacrifice ofdeath.

Soldiers’ families also understand the risks involved.

For them, the uncertainty while awaiting their loved one’sreturn from war can be agonizing. Many are happy homecomings, butothers are tragic reunions after a family member lost his or herlife in the line of duty.

For their willingness to face the dangers that come withprotecting the freedoms we enjoy, soldiers deserve our respect,admiration and appreciation. We should not have to be reminded ofthat fact only when there is a death of a soldier from our homestate or community.

Families of the fallen never forgot. Neither should we.