Matthew M. Brennan, Rest in Peace

In July, Christi and I attended the funeral of a very close family friend, Matthew Brennan. Matt was the son of Michael and Maria Brennan, who have been in our lives for nearly 20 years. Matt and his brother Scott used to come over to the house and play with Legos with our kids. The family moved to Oregon when the boys were young, but they still came to visit and we enjoyed watching the kids together. In later years, when Mike and Maria came to visit, the older boys didn't always come as older kids tend to do, they don't necessarily want to hang out with the folks. I remember what was probably the last time I saw Matt, watching him laugh and joke with my boys at the table in the Denny's where we all met. He was a smiling, freckle-faced kid, probably 14 or 15 at the time, and he looked like he had not a worry in the world.

But then he grew up, became a soldier and went to war.

When he came home, he was no longer the Matt that everyone knew. He had faced some horrible situations while in Iraq and they had left him forever scarred. If given permission by his family, I will share more of his story at another time. It only needs to be said here that he suffered from PTSD

On July 16th, 2011, we lost Matt to PTSD. While he did not die in Iraq, he was a victim of the war as surely as if he had stepped on a land mine. Although his was not a combat death, we cannot afford to forget those who lose the battle with PTSD. For more information on Matthew, please go here, here or here.

Please visit Christi's facebook page for more links about Matthew.

God Bless you Matthew Brennan. You are a hero.

You are OUR hero.

We remember.

On this night of September 11th, having watched the various memorials on the news and hearing about it all day on the radio, Christi and I sit here tonight and thank God for our blessings and all that he has given us. Not material things, but the love of our children and each other and the safety and security of living in this great nation. The men and women who work to keep us safe from harm, should always be remembered, but especially on this day when we remember the almost 3000 that were taken from us on that day eight years ago. The innocent folks who were just going about their business in the WTC and the Pentagon, the travelers who boarded those 4 planes on their way home, or on business trips or maybe even a vacation. The heroes who, after the planes hit, went rushing in to save anyone they could. As you remember those souls whose deaths came on that September day, spare a thought for the later victims. Those who dug out the remains of the trade center, all the while breathing in the toxic dust that was created by the burning of the Towers. Many of the workers who unearthed all those bodies are now facing their own deaths from a myriad of conditions all related to their work at ground zero. Include them in your prayers and remembrances along with the men and women who protect us still today, at home and abroad. God bless our troops, the victims, their families and most of all, God bless America!