A Veteran's Story

Somewhere in Germany
on a joint America German missile base, two US Army Sergeants started walking
in the lightly falling snow towards the missile pads. It was December 31, 1986 and the time was
almost midnight. It was soon going to be
1987.

Sitting on the missile pads were three Pershing missiles,
each tipped with tactical nuclear warheads. Each programmed with a top secret
target ready to launch in 10 minutes or less.

Back in those days the enemy was the USSR and the Warsaw
Pact countries. Iraq was something you hung a hat
on. Afghanistan was someplace where
Rambo fought Russians with the Taliban for our entertainment.

The two Sergeants, with their collars turned up against the
cold, arrived at the missile pad’s entry control point. Another young sergeant on the other side of
thick bullet proof glass asked for ID.
All three sergeants were in the same platoon, they ate in the same
dining facility, ran physical training and went to the rifle range and easily
recognized each other on site. But, when
dealing with nuclear weapons everything was done by the book. The two sergeants willingly gave up their ID
card so that could gain access.

Once the ID was verified and the sergeants signed in, they
made their way to each launch pad. At
each launch pad, a US Soldier and a German Soldier stood on guard duty. They were required to stand there for two
hour watching a cold green missile lying quietly in its cradle. The Sergeants made their way over to each
guard, shook their hand and wished them each a Happy New Year. It was all they had, no fireworks, no
clicking of glasses; just a simple hand shake and a wish for a brighter future
for the year to come.

The point of the story is that somewhere, a soldier, sailor,
or airmen is awake, standing guard, unceremoniously, just doing his job, while
the rest of us sleep. A simple act that
guarantees we can continue to enjoy our freedoms. To all veterans everywhere, a hearty Thank
you!

By the way, if you hadn’t guessed by now, I was one of those
Sergeants trudging through the snow that night, so long ago to wish my soldiers
a Happy New year.