ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Our Soldiers Have Names

Updated on September 2, 2013
Frank C. Bergman, Served in the US Navy
Frank C. Bergman, Served in the US Navy | Source


My father served in the Air Force for over twenty years.

I had an uncle, a brother, who served in the Navy, the Army.

I grew up listening to planes take off and land, night and day.

Fatigue green, saluting officers, chain of command, dress blues.


I wore an MIA bracelet for three years, high school and college,

And could not understand why so few people wore them.

That was a long time ago….

Frank Bergman's Mother
Frank Bergman's Mother | Source


America has engaged in wars since then, is fighting right now.

There are men and women still coming home in caskets,

still coming home with grievous wounds, we all know that.


I do my part, donate to the vets, write letters, send care packages,

angrily sign petitions demanding that our soldiers, who train,

leave family behind, fight and bleed, even die for our country –

receive the best medical care our country can provide.

Frank Bergman's Father
Frank Bergman's Father | Source


Frequently, I forward pictures of our soldiers.

Yesterday I forwarded an intensely moving picture.

A man kneeling next to a veteran in a wheelchair,

thanking him for his courage, his service.

I shared it with friends and family.


In moments, a friend, her husband a retired Army officer,

wrote back; they knew the soldier in the wheelchair.

She knew his name, his history, they were colleagues and friends.

Suddenly, tears poured down my face.

The man became real to me . . . as my friend’s friend.

One Side of Frank's Extended Family
One Side of Frank's Extended Family | Source


We forget, I forget, that these soldiers served alongside other soldiers.

To me they are certainly heroes and patriots and I honor them…

but to those who know them, they are dear friends and trusted buddies.

They are not isolated individuals, but members of families, of communities,

with mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, wives and children.


Our memories of who they are, their service, their sacrifice,

their lives, before and after, need to be so much more specific.

We should all know, really know, who we grieve for and who we honor.


Theresa Lynn Ast

August 2013

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)