A Different Kind of Fireworks

I am enjoying the Fourth of July weekend--while taking some time off from work I was watching a segment of of the Rachel Madow Show where Richard Engel, of NBC news, reported on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this segement, Richard Engel shows video of a firefight in Afghanistan. The video shows the reality of war. It is a sobering reminder of the dangers of battle.

The soldier featured in the video straps his personal video camera on his helmet to video a firefight with the Taliban from his perspective. He uses the video to study each firefight to learn from the experience, and to improve the strategies for future firefights.

As I sit safely here in the United States, getting ready to celebrate the 4th of July, I am thinking about our troops fighting in a forgotton war, Afghanistan. I am also thinking about the weekend, the Fourth, eating barbeque and seeing fireworks.

I will, after viewing this video, also be thinking about a different kind of fireworks, the fireworks these troops will be facing while they fight in Afghanistan; they will not have a chance to take the day off, they will be working in harsh and dangerous circumstances experiencing a different kind of fireworks, a fireworks that can end in death...

Click here to watch the video