Nick Smith, November 9, 2003

One thing that everyone learns in their life is that you sometimes have to stand up to evil. If you give in to the bully in the schoolyard, you just keep getting picked on. So you learn to confront bullies, even if it means getting a few bruises or a black eye. If you refuse to confront wrongdoing, whether at home, at work, or at school, it doesn't go away. The same rule applies to international affairs. We have armies and we fight battles not because we aim for war, but because there's no other way to preserve our peace, freedom and way of life.

Our troops do this noble work. Though they might join the military in many cases for reasons other than fighting, such as educational benefits, excitement, or just a decent job, our troops have always been willing and extremely able to defend our country from our enemies. The military life is built around sacrifice, teamwork and discipline. If you have lived that life, then you know the meaning of commitment to a greater cause. Serving has also enriched the lives of the millions who have been in our armed services and has in many ways brought this country closer together.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11, of course, have caused us to call once again on our military, which has again responded magnificently. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, our military acted with unprecedented speed and efficiency to secure those countries with a minimum of casualties and damage to all sides. After these military operations, they've also engaged in critical, though largely unheralded work to feed the hungry, heal the sick and injured, restore order, and build democracy.

They stand in the finest traditions of the 48 million Americans who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard since the founding of the republic. They have been the protectors of our liberties, the defenders of our national honor. And they have, at times, paid a heavy price for their service to our country -- from the 4,000 who died in the Revolutionary War to the 600,000 lost in the Civil War to the 550,000 lost in the two World Wars to the 95,000 dead in Korea and Vietnam to the 388 killed in the current Iraq conflict.

These dry statistics, however, can never encompass the sacrifices made. I have met with families of soldiers from our area who were killed in Iraq. And in early November, I met with a Sgt. Nancy Berger from Adrian and a member of the Michigan National Guard. She was injured in Iraq and is recovering at Walter Reed Hospital near Washington.

I also know from my own experience. When I was 23, Mom, Dad and I received a phone call. My brother, an Air Force pilot based in Okinawa, had been killed. Our lives were never quite the same. Chan's picture is in my office, and I think of him every day as we make decisions on the current conflicts throughout the world.

No one wants war and the sorts of hardships and sacrifices it brings. But sometimes it becomes unavoidable. At these times, we have always been able to count on the people of our armed services. And I am confident that we will be able to count on them far into the future. For this, our veterans and our active duty troops deserve our thanks.

Congressman Nick Smith represents Michigan's Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.