Military: Moms in uniform deserve utmost respect

Thank you for sharing the story of the Native American pilot whose remains were recently returned (TNT, 5/7). The lieutenant made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. This leads me to stories two and three. An article about a mom who is a symphony conductor is fine (TNT, 5/8), but the mom’s who truly deserve recognition are the moms serving in the military. They serve 24/7 and families, meals, etc..., are shoehorned in when their duties allow it. I know; I was a 20+ year Air Force mom. There would be days/weeks when I had duty and never saw my children or had warm food or warm showers.

I was stationed outside Washington State for nearly 15 of my military years, including being overseas, and I never missed voting for any reason. I refuse to associate myself with any political party, and despite the thorough explanation in today’s paper (TNT, 5/8), this will be the first time since I turned 18 that I will not be returning my ballot. I did my time in order to ensure that all freedoms (which a lot of Americans take for granted) continue. This will never include being forced to declare allegiance to something I don’t believe in.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Military: Moms in uniform deserve utmost respect."