Why Do I Join World War I?

I feel the scratchy fabric of the airplane seat and hear the shuffle of feet as people board the plane. The humming of an engine fills my ear as I place my bag under my seat. I'm about to go home for the first time since my deployment to Kandahar. I'm about to see my son and husband for the first time in eight months. Letters have been the only thing connecting me to my family and it has been hard at times. The hardest thing I have ever had to do. It's easy to forget that soldiers have families back at home. It's easy to forget that we left a life waiting behind us.

I look around at the people surrounding me. I wonder how many forgot about their service men and women before seeing my uniform? How many forgot about the war going on in Afghanistan? Many forget about us, the soldiers fighting in the Middle East. When people think of soldiers and war they think of the men who were in the trenches of the Great War. They think of the soldiers who liberated concentration camps during World War II. They don't think about the men and women in Afghanistan who aren't just protected Canadian citizens, but a group of people being suppressed by their leaders. That's why I joined the armed forces. To protect the innocent. To protect the people that can't protect themselves. I didn't join just to serve my country but to serve others in need, even if they aren't from Canada.
It has taught me about the freedom we in Canada take for granted. It has taught me to appreciate my home and the luxuries that come with it. It has taught me to cherish my family and that they were safely tucked away at home. Many in Afghanistan are not that