President Obama announced tonight that the Combat Mission in Iraq is over. I knew it was coming, I’d read the press release a couple weeks ago, but it was wonderful to hear, all the same. My Son stopped playing video games long enough to get up, gently knuckle bump the President on TV and say “Thanks.” That was cool. No that doesn’t mean everybody is coming home tomorrow to be reunited with their families and loved ones. But they will be. 

Since 9/11 we have changed. Of course we are always changing, but this was a change for the worst. We now live in a world where a box cutter is considered a potential terrorist threat. We judge our safety for the day by a color coded scale ranging from “low threat” to “severe threat”.  At the time of writing this post we are at YELLOW, by the way. (Be aware.)  And we still carry around hurt and bitterness not only for who and what we lost that day, but for the little nagging fears and apprehensions we try to ignore, and the discomforts we endure to protect ourselves and our nation. In these ways it’s impossible to deny that the bad guys got a little bit of what they wanted… to knock us down, see us suffer, and see us lose our sense of security & freedoms. But although we may have been slowed down for a minute, we never stopped being free. We’re still innovating and progressing.

Technology is proof of our continued progression. If I think back real hard to being a kid and put myself back in the living room of the house on Linden Rd watching the Jetsons… and in that state look forward to my Android phone? It is the stuff of Space Age gadgetry! And look what advancements the internet has made. Sure the internet was cool. AOL instant messaging was CRAZY amazing to me. I chatted with Hawaii, was verbally assaulted in chat rooms, and argued the merits of the movie “Powder” on a message board with strangers everywhere. I remember saying, “Wow the world just got smaller.” But even nine years ago after the planes hit and the magnitude of the situation was setting in, we felt alone as we sobbed in front of the TV for hours and days and months, sometimes physically unable to move. I was afraid to turn it off and go to bed because I was sure something big was going to hit and none of us were going to wake up again. There was some research that could be done online, but nobody to talk to, nothing to connect with. 

Today is a different story. We have something called social networking. People across the country “knowing” people and sincerely caring for people they’ve never met. I have always cared about “people” and been affected by stories I’d never heard about people I didn’t know – but I knew they existed. Our Facebook, Twitter, & blogging friends put faces to all that we know is out there outside of our little bubbles. We’re all connected.  And thanks to social media sites like Twitter & Flickr we can now broadcast our support and appreciation to our Troops and their Families for everyone to see. Nancy Pelosi TWEETED her well wishes today. Barack Obama made a video. So did Ryan Seacrest and your neighbors next door and across the country. I think this is amazing not just for the comforting words being shared, but the increased positive energy being put forth by all the people thinking as one and wishing love & wellness out into the world.

There were Patriots who supported this war and Patriots who opposed it.  And all of us are united in appreciation for our service men and women. -Barack Obama

For all the high points and low points in the speech, that sentiment stuck with me. We are reminded to put aside our “politics” for the moment and change our idea of  who “us” and “them” are. There is no right and left on this matter – only brave men and women who suffered and sacrificed, whose families suffered and sacrificed- to protect our freedoms and guard “us” from our “them.” So don’t forget to perform an act of kindness for a Soldier. And head on over to the White House online and record your message of appreciation.