Sacrifice and the Military

Another sad day, with the loss of a US Navy Blue Angels pilot after his F-18 crashed in Beaufort, SC around 4 PM EST. It was his first demonstration with the team after having been a part of the team for two years.

Most people don't understand the sacrifices servicemen make outside of the loss of life on the battlefield. Since I've been active duty, I've been assigned to several units that lost a member during "peacetime" events. Equipment maintenance, flying training missions, obstacle courses, and aerial demonstrations have all taken the lives of fellow servicemembers during my current stint. Even the first casualty of Operation Enduring Freedom was a vehicle accident, not a shot from the Taliban. Yes, we sometimes are required to make an ulitmate sacrifice as a result of direct enemy action, but these brave men and women, who die off of the field of battle, are no less honorable.