Stuck in the middle of our quaint, small town, we tend to forget there is a big world out there.
A new Internet provider moving to Kirksville and campus budget cuts are but minor issues in comparison to the bigger picture. There is, and has been, a war going on for almost a decade, yet we easily forget about its devastating consequences.
This war was brought a bit closer to home Aug. 22, when Kirksville resident Sgt. Brandon E. Maggart, 24, was killed in combat. Maggart died in Basrah, Iraq, when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire (see story, page 1).
No matter our personal political stances on the war, we should never forget all those who have served and continue to serve our country or those who gave their lives protecting us. Their sacrifice is amazing and is something we all should remember and be thankful for.
As college students, we often get caught up in our own day-to-day trials and tribulations, convinced our petty problems and minor setbacks are the end of the world. Well, our "world" sometimes can be pretty small. There are soldiers, our age or even younger, who on a daily basis wake up hoping they will survive another day in the heat of combat.
As of Aug. 31, 2010, there were 4,408 military casualties and more than 30,000 other service members wounded in action since this war began, according to defense.gov. These thousands aren't nameless faces — they are siblings, cousins, spouses, sons and daughters. These numbers are unsettling. Yet we sometimes live our lives in ignorance of the magnitude of these sacrifices, thinking the worst loss we could suffer is a poor grade on an exam or getting dumped by a significant other.
We need to open our eyes. In a small town, especially, we easily slip into the mindset that the combat overseas is too far away to affect us. It is as if we have placed ourselves within a glass box. We can read all the newspapers and watch all the television news we want, but we still think nothing from the outside world can ever alter our daily existence. However, when one of our own has been killed, something inside us awakens to the realization that the consequences of the war can reach even as far as Kirksville. The war has been brought to our doorsteps by the death of Sgt. Maggart, and we will mourn his death and curse the war for stealing the life of someone much too young to be lost. But what should our next reaction be?
We cannot directly stop this war. It will require more time, money and cooperation than any one of us can provide on our own. But this doesn't mean we can't contribute to the cause. Whether you hang an American flag outside your house, plaster a yellow ribbon decal on your car or say a prayer for the men and women overseas, just remember that the war is on-going. While you are sleeping, cramming for a huge test or partying with your friends, remember that people are dying to protect our country.
Through his death, Maggart has become a constant reminder to the citizens of Kirksville that the war is ever-present in our lives. Maggart died to protect his friends, family and neighbors in Kirksville. And hopefully, we as a community can join together in memory of that sacrifice to continually support our troops until they safely return home.
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