If anyone has been following my MilBlogs subgroup in the sidebar, you’ve noticed most of the bloggers have rotated back to the States, and the blogs have either gone dormant or moved to new, Stateside-oriented, blogs. I will probably look around and find current in-theater bloggers; however, the DoD has begun limiting what they can say to the point where they can’t say much. On one hand, this is frustrating, but on the other, it reduces the risk that people will be endangered by the enemy studying what they have to say and using it against us. Unfortunately, their postings are one of the key things that give me (as a private citizen exposed to news media) hope for success, because they prove we’re making a difference, and as long as the people understand that, the insurgents have lost.

On another front, I want to acknowledge something I’m not sure many others realize. Most of the milbloggers I’ve seen have been Citizen Soldiers–Reserve and Guard troops called to Active Duty. For these people, military service isn’t their primary duty in life–they usually have other careers, activities, and things going on in their lives, and military service is a small part. Their families are frequently more isolated from support systems typically found on a military installation, because they may live far from an installation. In many ways, their sacrifice has been far greater than the full-time Active Duty servicemember who goes to work in a uniform no matter what. Yet, you can tell by reading their blogs that they give this time and service willingly at great personal cost. Yes, toward the end of a year or year and a half, some were growing weary. The amazing thing is it took that long for the weariness to set in.

Regular Active Duty folks sacrifice much irreplaceable family time or time with associates, but our primary expectation is we will perform these duties. Most of our families, on some level, understand this and usually support us. When we deploy, our family is usually near a military installation, and full support is available to them.

I appreciate everyone’s service, but I particularly appreciate the sacrifices of our Guard and Reserve troops and their families who willingly sacrifice so much when they are called to Active Duty. Some families live in areas hostile to military personnel, and this environment must make the isolation and loneliness during their loved one’s deployment even more difficult.

I’ll look for some on-station milbloggers, but I want to wish the ones on the sidebar a hearty welcome home–and my sympathy and appreciation for the sacrifice of the family and friends of those who didn’t make it back the way they’d hoped and planned.