As Paul goes on to say in Galatians, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) The world should see and hear this when we speak and confess our Jesus. Our Savior.

The arena of war today blurs the lines of the knowledge of right and wrong. The fundamental nature of war consistently causes violations of organizational ethics and personal morals. The emotional scars Soldiers receive live beyond the battlefield and accompany the Soldier on their journey home. Emotional scars of war are not new; history used various terms over the past couple of centuries to describe what is now known as moral injury, Soldier’s heart, war neurosis, or shell shock, to name a few (Drescher and Foy, 2008, p. 86).

But today is a different day. Today is a day of great joy!

It is a day of joy for families, for mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts, and uncles. For the children that smile and laugh, for a mother's embrace, and for love a father will cherish.

My parents knew all of the risks when they signed and gave me permission to enlist at the age of 17, we are a military family. One grandfather served in the Navy, and another was in the Army infantry during WWII. My father was in the Air Force during Vietnam, and my brother served in the Army National Guard in the 1990s. Still, knowing the danger, my parents granted me permission to enlist during my senior year of high school to become a soldier.