Fallen Soldiers and Animal Encounters

I am a pediatric nurse practitioner in Leominster. Many of the young people in my practice are entering the service after graduation. It’s also quite common for a mom or dad to be raising a baby on their own, while their spouse is serving time in the military. And, as it is with war, some of these young soldiers are giving up their lives far from home, family and friends. This day I keep them and their families close in my heart. 

I also think about what brought small glimpses of light in days that stretched on in anticipation, then exploded into action, then again, stifling, still, anticipation.

Those small things that shed light into a soldier’s  live are essential to military sanity. Care packages from home (I have heard socks are SO exciting!), folks sending toothpaste, gum, magazines, even comic books. Endless games of cards. Getting to know the other soldiers sharing the mission, liked or not liked. And, at times, getting to know the local animals. 

These animals remind our young people of home — the black dog who lives at the gas station, the yellow cat that belongs to a loved aunt. Thinking of how their siblings or children would react if they met that funny calico cat who hangs out near the mess tent and sits up on her haunches to beg for food. 

I gain some small peace in my heart, thinking that these men and women who gave their lives, had some small joy brought to them by some small meeting of the animals they met.