I work (some might instead say "physically occupy office space", but we won't go there) in the Pentagon as a contractor supporting Headquarters US Air Force. The Pentagon is an interesting, exciting, frustrating place to work, where you can see everything from the rankest stupidity to the most moving and inspiring scenes. I want to share one of the latter with you.

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drag on, one of the things we often see in the Pentagon is wounded soldiers being treated at Walter Reed Hospital, brought to the building for VIP tours. Even for someone like me who can get pretty emotional, the sight of these young men (and women) missing arms, legs, or eyes; swathed in bandages or encased in casts or cages; can break your heart. These are young people with their whole lives ahead of them who answered a call to something larger than themselves and paid a terrible price. But for all that, it's inspiring to see these wounded soldiers, because the vast majority of them aren't sitting slumped in wheelchairs or limping along feeling sorry for themselves - they're alert, sometimes laughing, grateful for having cheated death, even at such a price. These are real Americans, and if your heart doesn't swell in your chest for them, there's something very, very wrong.

I served 23 years in the Air Force between 1973 and 1996, and never heard a shot fired in anger. I just missed Vietnam, and in subsequent wars and actions in Grenada, Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan, I was always in staff positions in which I supported the people who actually did the fighting. On the scale of relative sacrifice, long days and nights at a desk in a stuffy office, while important in their own right, don't stack up well against long days and nights in bitter mountains or the burning desert, facing people who want to kill you.

We can never give these young warriors back the life they've lost. But we can - and should - appreciate their sacrifice and support them in any way we can. Whether you agree with the ongoing wars or not - and my position on Iraq is pretty clear - we owe these men and women a debt that can never really be repaid.

If you can publish a blog in which you can castigate religious extremists or tell the President he's made a mistake, remember that it's the Soldier, the Sailor, the Airman, and the Marine who've made it possible...not the well-meaning but naive protester and ivory-tower academic.

Have a good weekend, and thank the veteran who helped make it possible.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo