Another of ours goes to Iraq

Well, D-- came up to me at church and admitted that he's going to Iraq. Looks like he's going to get a job with KBR (Halliburton) and will be going over for a year. Leaving behind D-- and their kiddos. Just like B--, who is over there now, leaving behind C-- and their three little ones.

I want to say, "Why, why," but I can't, because I know why. Good money. Great money, really. Both were in situations where they had lost jobs, and just couldn't get back in place. We, who are not in that position can say, "I would never ..." Of course, "I would never" is a great luxury. You don't know what you would do until you're in the situation.

So, I set my attention to the ones left behind and how we can help them. That has to be so hard for them. They can't comfort themselves with the thought that "Well, he's going over there to defend his country." (Granted, it is probably hard for those who love our actual servicemen and women to say that and believe it right now.) It's a business decision. Economics. They're going over, not to protect their families in some ideological way, but in a real, concrete way. They are risking their lives to take care of their families, financially.

Is this a male thing? A throwback to the nuclear family? Both have spouses who work full-time. But in today's economy, it's just so hard.

I am so incredibly lucky. And I am always aware of it. I have the luxury of "I would never ..."