An Open Letter to Lithuania

Thank you, for the respect and tribute you showed to four young American soldiers and, by extension, their families, and us.

Thank you, for taking time to remind us that we are all people first, for  demonstrating that we are citizens of the world before we are citizens of nations, and that our relationships are about our shared existence rather than how you may feel about the current edicts, rhetoric, decisions, and egos of our national leaders.

Thank you for rising above the abstract designations of borders and intellectualism of political philosophies. We are all carbon-based life forms, our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual differences legion in many respects, yet, at our core, we all share sorrow when innocent lives are lost.

We also share the anger and resentment of being labeled or tainted by the broad brush of disdain based on skin color, culture, or religion, behaviors currently favored by people with a profound lack of empathy and an unprecedented disregard for the pillars of history, education, science, and equality.

When you lined your streets to observe the passage of four fallen American soldiers, you demonstrated not just your respect for life, you sent us a message, that you understand the vast majority of us are what we have always been, a modern, caring population of Americans. This is a sensitive time, and your validation of us as ‘us’ is especially welcome as the ongoing actions and pronouncements of our nation’s leadership have placed the world on edge.

I have on occasion explained to those who have not served that many service members must perform dangerous tasks not just in times of conflict but as part of a normal workday. Jobs and training exercises often require work performed in a manner that increases exposure to possible injury or death. Soldiers do not have to be at war to encounter hazardous conditions. A soldier’s ultimate sacrifice does not always occur on the battlefield.

I was moved as I watched footage of your respect for the procession of Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan; Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois; Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.

We thank them for their sacrifice, and I thank you for your gracious moment of love and respect.

MWH