By RANDY GADDO

A U.S. soldier was killed in Iraq on Christmas Day, the TV newscaster said, almost casually, as she moved on to other headlines of the day.

That reporter probably completed her shift, packed up her laptop, and drove happily to a warm, dry home, a loving family and Christmas dinner. Quite possibly, she didn’t give the impact of her words another thought the rest of the day.

But somewhere in America, a family will never again be able to celebrate Christmas, or any other holiday for that matter, without bittersweet memories. Forever more, their celebrations of life’s little holidays will be tainted by the absence of their soldier, sailor, airman or Marine.

In fact, the families of nearly 3,000 U.S. servicemen killed in Iraq since Operation Iraqi Freedom began and 350 more who have perished in Afghanistan probably didn’t feel too festive this season. Those of strong faith or other supportive coping mechanisms will use every distraction possible to get through it. But the loss of a child, no matter what the age or reason, has got to be the most unimaginably difficult pain to bear.

You can put all the media or political spin on it you want, but the bottom line is that fighting a war over the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year holiday period stinks — fighting a war anytime stinks, but especially during this timeframe. It’s a lonely feeling being on the front lines knowing that back home the holidays are going on as usual. The solace for a warrior is to know that by being there, on duty, fellow country men, women and children back home can carry on the traditions of the season.

On the positive side, duty in a hostile environment over the holidays does make a person appreciate the little things in life. One soldier’s Christmas wish as quoted in a newspaper was to get four hours of uninterrupted sleep and/or to be moved to a safer location in Iraq. Things get more basic in a combat arena.

When warriors return home, they will notice that they appreciate facets of life in America that they never even noticed before. The will suddenly marvel at things such as hot running water for a bath, or clear clean drinking water, or being able to drive to the local market for fresh food without the threat of roadside bombs or sniper fire.

They’ll also probably notice that too many Americans take these simple things for granted. They think it’s their birthright to have these things. Some people won’t comprehend how many sacrifices had to be made by so many people so they can enjoy these freedoms. It’s not unusual for returning warriors to somewhat disdain what they see when they come back, to sometimes wonder if their sacrifice was appreciated by those who most benefit from it.

What is the purpose of this missive? Simply, as the New Year dawns, to ask Americans to remember that someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife or other relative or friend will not be here to celebrate. They’ve either given the ultimate sacrifice or will be on duty in hostile territory.

Thousands of others will be somewhere recovering from injuries suffered at the hands of bad people in other lands.

The purpose of this message is to ask that everyone make a special effort to make service men and women or their families part of their New Year thoughts. At the very least, as you bring in the New Year with family and friends, lift a glass and toast all those out there on the tip of the spear doing their part to keep us all safe. Oh, and thank God to be celebrating in America.

Director of Peachtree City’s Leisure Services department, Randy Gaddo is a retired Marine.