Today is Memorial Day (USA)

This is the US holiday where we're supposed to remember the men and women who have died while fighting for our country.

CNN has a nice tribute to the troops serving in Iraq "coming home" [here].

Or for something really sobering, take a look at the current US/Coalition casualty list [here]. You'll see the picture, name, age, unit, hometown, and other details of each soldier killed in Iraq. Scroll down that first page, and it seems to go on forever. But keep in mind it's only listing last names beginning with A and B. Use the menu at the top to see the others. As of now, 2,684 US and coalition soldiers have lost their lives for this cause.

To put it in perspective, here are the US casualties from various wars (for more numbers, [click here]):

Current Iraq War: 2,684
Afghanistan: 282
Gulf War: 293
Vietnam: 58,168
Korea: 54,246
WWII: 407,316
WWI: 116,708

These were not strangers -- they were our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends. They had lives full of happiness and potential. But they lost it all to serve a cause greater than themselves. One measly holiday is insufficient to adequately recognize their sacrifices.


Today, I'm grateful for:

• The sacrifices of my neighbors and friends so that I can live in a safe place, where my rights are protected
• Being a US citizen
• Being 53 days sober
• Not having to drink today
• My caring family and adorable puppy
• My sweet new friend, who makes me feel special
• My AA friends, online and off
• God, whose plans encompass more than I can ever imagine