Mother's Day for Mothers with Children at War

Past Mother’s Days have found mothers with children in the military service. These men and women have been in many areas of the world serving our country and have been unable to be with their mothers on this special day. Today, however, the number of children in the military and on foreign soil is significantly greater than most years.

How do these mothers feel today?

Some are grieving with heavy hearts for the child they lost during this conflict or in the past wars.
They are proud that their children are serving our country. Some are concerned that their children may still be in harms way, especially those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Many are wondering how long their children will be in these distant areas of the world.
Some are probably concerned about the effect the war might have on the lives of their children after the children return home.
All are feeling grateful that the war was relatively short lived and that the casualties were less than many had predicted.
Mothers all over the world are feeling sympathy for the mothers in war torn countries whose children have suffered injuries or who have been killed.

And, lest we forgot, there are mothers serving in the military at this unsettled time that will be away from their children this year on Mother’s Day. The message that they send to their children in this country may come from as far away as Iraq, and some of these mothers have been away from their children for many months. Each mother is sending her greetings without any assurance of when she will be home to see her children again.

How can we remember all of these special mothers today? We can remember them with our thoughts and prayers. We can thank the mothers with children in the service for the sacrifice that they are experiencing. We can also thank the mothers who are serving our country for the sacrifices that they are making for all of us. If you know the mother of a service man or woman, you might want to make a special effort to let this mother know of your special thoughts and feelings for them today and thank them for being military
moms.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 2003