Loss and Sacrifice
Definition of LOSS
1 the act of losing possession a: deprivation <loss of sight>b : the harm or privation resulting from loss or separation c : an instance of losing
2 a person or thing or an amount that is lost: as a plural : killed, wounded, or captured soldiers
3 decrease in amount, magnitude, or degree
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
Definition of SACRIFICE
1: an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially: the killing of a victim on an altar
2: something offered in sacrifice
3 a : destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b : something given up or lost <the sacrifices made by parents>
“Sacrifice takes many forms, and varies along a wide spectrum of magnitude. If you are a member of the military, you may be away from home and those you love for extended periods of time, miss out on children’s birthdays, possibly fall behind in your education or career, endure hardships in foreign lands, and many other things. If you are in combat, you may be seriously wounded, either physically or mentally, and thereafter your whole life may change in fundamental ways—ways that often require hospitalizations, relying on prostheses, long-term care, and other special considerations. Or, you may face the biggest sacrifice of all. You may be killed in combat, in accidents, you may unknowingly be exposed to hazardous conditions (radiation) or substances (Agent Orange) you may succumb to uncommon diseases contracted overseas, or while doing hazardous work.”
Allen Whitt, Navy Veteran, Served on the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) July 1965 until December 1967
“When you were young and put in command of troopers your father’s age, it was not easy sending them on combat patrols, knowing that they may not come back and then you had to write the dreaded letter to a wife and children.
As a child, I still recall that my mother and I lived in Henry Barracks while my father was a Company Commander (Infantry) in Korea. I still hear the cries of agony during the day and at night from my friends’ mothers when they were informed that they had lost their husband/father…
When I was in high school, we lived at Edgewood Arsenal, Md. Starting in 1963, I heard the same cries of agony and wondered where my friends went in a couple of days. I always prayed that my mother and I would not go there.
Sure, Dad was wounded twice but he came home.
Then it was my turn up to bat. I did not want my mother and father to suffer for the loss of their son and that made me determined not to give up.
I think of my troopers that have gone ahead of us each and every day. These are men that made a commitment and believed in what they were doing.”
Julio Caratini, Army Brat and Army Veteran
Sadie’s husband, George says this about his beloved wife:
“Chief Master Sergeant Sadie Stewart grew up in the “Jim Crow” South of Jackson, Mississippi. Nevertheless, she was class Valedictorian of her high school graduating class.
She joined the US Air Force for the chance at a life she knew would not be afforded her in the Mississippi of the time. She finished either first or second in every class, school or academy the Air Force sent her to.
She became the first woman in the history of the Air Force to attain the rank of E-9 (Chief Master Sergeant) in her career field.
After 28 years of service, she was medically retired in March 2002. She died July 11, 2010, ironically the same date– July 11—she’d enlisted. She was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on October 28, 2010 with full military honors.
She was a great wife of 34 years and a great mother to two daughters. A true person of integrity and great distinction.”
Military Family Stories 