VIEW from the top
To any service member: We still believe in you
LELAND ACKER chreporter@mediactr.com
Dear any service member, It's been a sickening

week for me. I've had the duty of covering the story of one of your fallen comrades. He was an outstanding student in school, a good husband and father, West Point graduate and a good soldier.

Throughout the Presidential campaign this year, we have heard about the cost of the war in Iraq. Candidates have bemoaned how much of that money could have been used on education, health care, etc etc.

Such costs pale in comparison to what this war has cost us in the lives of some of the finest people to represent the United States of America.

In this particular case, the war cost our country a bright, outstanding young man who believed in serving his country to the fullest.

He was not the only one, as thousands of similar men and women have given their lives in defense of this country and for what she stands.

This war has also cost many children much needed time with their fathers and mothers during the formative years of their lives. The costs of this war cannot be measured in dollars and cents.

It's hard to say that the cost is worth it, and I'm not even sure I believe it. However, I do believe in what you are doing, who you are, and what you are accomplishing.

Like many Americans, I am grateful for your service and sacrifice.

I once interviewed a soldier who was returning from Iraq. I asked him about the negative media coverage. He told me while troops overseas don't spend much time focusing on that, it was hard making the sacrifices knowing that the American people won't appreciate the sacrifices made.

I want you to know that the New York Times and the media inside the Washington beltway do not speak for the majority of Americans. They report and editorialize, but "not in my name."

There are a great number of Americans who know how much you sacrifice and appreciate the way you serve our country. Your service is not in vain.

We rejoice when you are successful, mourn your losses and live for the day you come home safely.

The U.S. Military is the finest military in the world, not just because it is the most powerful, but because of who it is.

We see the footage of soldiers sharing their Girl Scout cookies they just received with local Iraqi children. We remember the images of a young child with a chocolate covered face running through the streets of Baghdad shouting "Ameriki" when U.S. forces took over the city.

Please, keep doing what you're doing. Defend freedom, defeat the insurgency and keep America shining as a beacon of freedom in parts of the world where freedom is not understood.

And though you won't see it on CNN, remember, we still believe in you.

Take care, God bless and come home soon.

Your friend, Leland Acker

Minister, columnist, journalist, husband, father, friend, American.