Ben and I spent the weekend representing Military Ministry at the FamilyLife Marriage Conference. We met many military couples, gave them lots of gifts, heard their stories, and tried to honor them and give them the best weekend possible.

There is a saying that we are a military at war and a nation at peace.

We found that to be true as we held a special session for the military couples and spoke on PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. One soldier spoke on how he has served a total of 26 months in Iraq. He has a wife and two daughters. He talked about how on the transition home, he was in Iraq with a weapon one day, in Kuwait with the weapon taken away the next day, the home with his family the next day. There was little training in the transition from being in a war zone with a weapon, looking all around you, being on high alert, to being home driving his family to go out to eat.

It was difficult for him to be in large crowds. It was hard for him to drive the car without always trying to find the enemy. He didn't like loud noises.

We, here at home, hear on the news that we are at war, but don't really see the ramifications of it. We are a nation at peace.

But our troops are at war. They are having a difficult time adjusting to being back "at peace". They, and their families, have a new normal and it is hard to get used to it.

Ben goes out to a local military hospital to visit with the chaplains there and there he sees more of the results of war...burned victims, missing limbs, bandages, and wheelchairs, etc.

It was sobering to hear the stories and an honor to be able to listen to them.