He said, "You get used to it."

At a party last week, my wife and I met a couple who live across the cornfield and down the road from us. Super nice people. He's a soldier who just got home from Iraq. His job was to fly a plane ahead of the convoys to search out land mines, suicide bombers and enemy combatants. In other words, he saw his share of conflict. I thanked him for serving our country and let him know how glad I was that he was home safe. He said they went over with 24 planes and came back with 21. They lost 3 pilots and a mechanic along the way. I felt so bad and expressed my sympathies. He said, "You get used to it." The death of heroic men and women of our armed forces is something we should never get used to. Regrettably war may happen. But let us never get used to it. Human life is a gift of God and let us never get used to it being extinguished. I feel so horribly that this young man has had to get used to it. Lord have mercy on our country, on our soldiers, on the people of the Iraq and Afghanistan. Lord have mercy on the families of these soldiers. Lord have mercy on us all. Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen. ††† (BCP) Almighty God our heavenly Father, guide the nations of the world into the way of justice and truth, and establish among them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness, that they may become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ††† (BCP)