Willing Warriors

Richard S. Lowry:

This Christmas, America’s sons and daughters are still at war. They stand as sentinels against the few who live in a world of hate and terror. George Orwell put it best. “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” Many years ago, I stood as a sentinel with my shipmates aboard a Poseidon nuclear submarine. We spent months at a time isolated from our world, hiding in the ocean’s depths. We stood guard against the evil of our day. We provided a credible deterrent. In so doing, we gave half our life to the sea. We had no communication with the outside world for months on end.

As it remains today, protecting America was a full-time job. It is a 24/7/365 endeavor. I remember the feelings I had those many years ago while on patrol at Christmas. I remember the sense of isolation I had even though my shipmates were all around. I remember the helpless feeling of not really knowing how my family was doing. I remember the deep sadness of knowing that I would not be home for Christmas. Yet, I was proud that my sacrifices were helping to provide Peace on Earth.

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