Families support military children

To the editor:

We can no longer remain silent regarding the attacks on military families. If you have strong opinions about the war in Iraq, write your legislators, vote, sign your name to your protests.

For example, our son, Airman Beau Jordan, is proudly serving in the U.S. Air Force. He is only 19. It has been his dream since he was little. Few parents wish to send a child to war, but many support the dreams of their children at great sacrifice. We wish our son was still sitting at the breakfast table with us every morning. We wish we could hug him every day. However, Beau had a dream to serve his country, and we will always support that.

When you criticize parents for allowing their children to go into the military, you are talking about our children and our families. We beg you to remember how much uninformed words hurt. Try supporting others' dreams, experience the cost.

The sacrifice of military families may not fit the picture of how you think things should be, or it might not be the career choice you wish for your child. But we want our son to know that we have his back. Before criticizing us, sit down with us, show us your faces and listen to what we go through each day. If you spend a little time in our shoes, maybe your future judgments will contain more compassion.

STEVE and CARLA JORDAN, Cape Girardeau