We all should be pretty aware of the sacrifices Americans and their families have made for generations having just celebrated Memorial Day earlier this week.
A different kind of struggle, but no less significant, is taking place at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
This week the base shut down normal operations for three days to try and reach its roughly 25,000 soldiers in the middle of a suicide epidemic.
There have been 11 suicides at the base since the start of the year. There were two last week.
The legendary 101st Airborne Division is housed at the base and has done three tours in Iraq. Other brigades have experienced multiple tours in Afghanistan.
“We’ve been at war at this installation for seven years,” Col. Ken Brown, the head chaplain at the base, told the Associated Press. “I think that has a cumulative effect across the force.”
Although U.S. troops are slated to pull out of major Iraqi cities by the end of next month, escalating force numbers in Afghanistan have been ordered by President Obama. North Korea’s saber-rattling is rising. The episodes of Somali piracy show us that trouble spots and a need for military intervention can arise in the blink of an eye. The combat stress levels percolating at Fort Campbell aren’t likely to dissipate quickly.
I came along another blog by Karen McCraken of the Louisville Christian Examiner asking for prayers for the fort as it struggles with a growing trend across the military.
The call for prayer is absolutely called for.
Pete, Thanks so much for sharing the message. My hopes are that everyone will cover the Soldiers in prayer from now through Sunday and long after – but especially as they go through this 3 days of intensive help. God Bless, Karen Louisville Christian Examiner