Allan, I trust you know that your son has my prayers and my gratitude. And that you have my empathy.

Having a child deployed in a combat zone is hard duty. It can seem like an especially hard duty in the case of an all-volunteer armed services situation, when so few around you are able to truly understand what you are going through.

The good news is that support for our troops seems to be very universal these days, unlike in the dark days of Vietnam. Most folks may not feel it every day, but I've been amazed by how many will step up to support these troops and help them when they have an opportunity to do so. I have seen so much of this that I am somewhat amazed.

God bless your son. God bless them all! And God bless their families.