My heart broke this morning when I woke to the news that at least 12 people were killed and 50 others were injured (including a 4-month-old baby) at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. To think, these innocent people were out to enjoy the hype and excitement that surrounded the newest Batman movie. Now, the lives of so many are changed forever by 24-year-old shooter James Holmes. Why this movie theater? Why this showing? Sadly, there are no answers ... yet.
To be real with you: my heart broke again with the recent reports out of the Pentagon that some members of the military were either killed or wounded during the early morning shooting.
No, the sacrifice of these military members is no greater than the other civilians in attendance. But man if those involved deployed overseas and have seen combat, then there's no denying it's certainly tragic.
I dated an Army guy for a while who deployed to Afghanistan twice. I experienced what it was like to be on the other side of a deployment, hearing about all the scary, bone-chilling things happening on the other side of the world thousands of miles away. It wasn't easy. When these service members come home, it's a huge victory. It's a breath of fresh air. Which is why it's so hard to hear the stories of men and women who have served our country overseas, and then face an untimely death in a completely different scenario here on our own soil.
I guess many of us live in this bubble. We like to think that here in America, we are safe. The truth, as we are painfully reminded by events like last night's shooting, is that we never REALLY are. No one could have predicted what happened in Colorado last night.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families affected by the shooting. Hear more about last night's massacre and see President Obama's recently released statement, here:
How did you first hear about last night's Dark Knight massacre?
Image via eflon/Flickr
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Comments 17
I agree wholeheartedly with you @again.
Right on "Again" ! Very well said!
Here's why I think it's a tragedy that these Military people died in this way... in Afghanistan, they are allowed to carry their weapons and defend themselves when they're being attacked or shot at.
Here in America, the Land of the Free, where the Second Amendment protects our right to keep and bear arms, those Military personnel were banned from carrying guns by the very same government that trained them to use them. Had even one of them been armed, this "tragedy" (it's not a "tragedy" it's a HEINOUS CRIME) might have been cut short or even averted. Those military members might be celebrated as living heroes instead of having their funerals planned.
I think a few of you are missing the point of the article. The author isn't saying that the military members who lost their lives last night in Colorado deserve anything extra over the civilians. What she is saying is that it is hard for the families to have struggled through deployment, praying constantly for the safety of their soldiers, and welcome them home so grateful for their safety, just to lose them senselessly like this. As an Army wife, I understand what she's talking about. You don't want to go through a deployment, all the stress and agony it brings, and finally start to relax, believing your loved one is safe, to lose them in a way that didn't have to happen. For a military family, it just makes the loss that much worse some how. I guess if you're not a military family it's pretty hard to understand.
As a member of the military I agree with ponychaser..we dont ask for u 2 feel sorry for us. We do that enough ourselves because most of what we do is looked at as not being appreciated and we really dont care because only certain people can do what we do and call it/us what you want but reality is reality unless you have the heart 2 do what we do all we ask is that u respect what we do. We put our lives on the line while u go 2 work and go home. Anyway bacc on topic. If any of those members were allowed 2 carry this could have been avoided. We are trained 2 deal with things like this but cant because the american people cant think for themselves and would do whatever anyone says. i feel like all police n military should b allowed 2 carry at anytime because if i am bein trained 4 this 2 protect america over seas i should b allowed 2 protect the people in it while at home.