What Should You Tell Your Kids About War?

Sometimes the most memorable lessons come in daily life. As parents we need to seize each of them and present them wrapped in the morals we want our kids to embrace rather than wait to see how the rest of the world responds. It's important to take time out of our busy and often stressful schedules to provide our children clear direction from life's teachable moments.

One such moment came when we received news that Staff Sgt. James Hunter, who had been killed in Afghanistan, would be making his final journey to our small community via motorcade. Local citizens lined the streets of the motorcade route to honor a fallen hero.Because only Sgt. Hunter's family currently reside here, many citizens knew family members but not the man himself. Then there were those like me who didn't know anyone connected to him. Despite having never seen his face, my connection to him was deep. He was an ordinary man, in an ordinary town, living an ordinary life until the day he was called to go to a foreign land. And there, where the streets have no name, he became extraordinary.

As we waited in the sweltering 96-degree sun, I thought about this man I'd never met and what he'd done for me. When my kids wanted to complain about the heat, it took only one reminding that this man had been in the desert of the Middle East a great deal longer than we'd been sitting in the sun two miles from our home. It was something they hadn't considered. It was a lesson.

Prior to the motorcade's arrival, 50 patriotic bikers rolled out to provide escort. When at last the motorcade arrived, it was only the sound of those protective bikes that filled the air. With no forethought or planning, idle chitchat ceased as we all stood in silent respect. Some waved flags, others stood reverently with a hand over his or her heart, while some offered a final salute. It was a surreal moment. As the cars passed I made eye contact with the grieving family inside. In that brief glimpse of their pain, I vowed to make the most out of their loss, to teach my children to always dig a little deeper within and be all they can be and to not let Sgt. Hunter's death be in vain.

It's up to us to make certain that our children understand that behind the anonymous body count on the nightly news is a man or woman who lives no more. For the sake of honor and country they've paid the ultimate price. They are more than a uniform, more than a war. They are not just soldiers. They are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, friends and children. For every number there is a heart broken family struggling to survive as one day folds into the next, knowing a light in their life has gone out.

Somehow, even in the midst of death, sinuous intent lingers in some and outright hatred in others. Another teachable moment was found in the rumors that war protesters planned to be at Sgt. Hunter's funeral. These were not the run-of-the-mill protesters. These were individuals with a reputation of disrupting funerals for service men and women by screaming obscenities and even spitting on mourners. They spew their toxic words while hiding behind their right to have anti-war protests - a right secured for them by the death of the one they dishonor.

What the world needs to know is that, for a soldier, it's not about being for or against the war. It's about honor, integrity, sacrifice and courage. It's about God and country. It's about doing what's right even when it costs everything. If ever there was a legacy I want to leave for my boys, it's a soldier's example of integrity, selflessness, and courage. I want them to remember, not only Sgt. Hunter but also all that have gone before and the countless that will follow. I want them to seize this moment and realize that in a world that seems so evil there is still hope because of great sacrifice. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13