'Thank you'

In the United States, local newspapers and TV stations clearly do a better job of covering the day-to-day effects of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on U.S. troops and their families than their national counterparts. Having worked in both local and national newsrooms, I witnessed this first-hand.

Still, even among local outlets that do a solid job of personalizing how the war is affecting their area, it is rare to see a columnist pause to say "thank you" to our troops. I stumbled on this column by Randy Evans in the Fayette Daily News in Fayetteville, Georgia, while researching the story of Spc. Brushaun Anderson's death in Iraq. Evans writes:

The two most underused words in the world are "thank you." So often, in the whirl of current events and the frantic pace of nonstop lifestyles, there never seems enough time to stop and recognize the truly priceless gifts from the few. Yet, they ask so little and give so much.

Evans goes on to honor the following troops who gave their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. His summations of their lives are particularly emotional for me to read, as I remember writing several scripts about these heroes for CNN.com Live.

Sgt. Briand Williams of Valdosta, Georgia
1st Lt. Joseph Helton of Monroe, Georgia
Command Sgt. Benjamin Moore, Jr. of Waycross, Georgia
Pfc. Jaiciae Pauley of Austell, Georgia
Pvt. Thomas Lee of Dalton, Georgia
Chief Warrant Officer Michael Montgomery of Savannah, Georgia
Staff Sgt. Vernon Martin of Savannah, Georgia
Staff Sgt. Alex French IV of Lawrenceville, Georgia
Sgt. 1st Class Shawn McCloskey of Peachtree City, Georgia
Capt. Matthew Freeman of Richmond Hill, Georgia
Sgt. Raymundo Morales of Dalton, Georgia

While each of these brave troops has a compelling story, Evans attributes a particularly moving quote to the final name mentioned:

Army Sgt. Ray Morales put it this way to his father: "Daddy, if I don't, who will? You know, who will protect us and our country?"

Thank you to all these fallen heroes, and to Randy Evans for doing what many of his colleagues fail to do: pay tribute to enormous sacrifices that keep us free.