A company of soldiers. PBS' Frontline

I have quite a love-hate relationship with PBS. Some of my absolute favorite series have been PBS exclusives. Ken Burns 'Civil War' and 'The West' are both fantastic television, some of the viewpoints are liberal, but I still enjoy the history. The problem I have with PBS is usually the slant of their news pieces and investigative series, Frontline and Nova.

This week's Frontline was a fantastic look inside the 8th Cavalry Regiment. It follows the men of D Company, known by their nickname 'the misfits' through their daily lives in south Baghdad November of 2004.

While I watched this piece, I was moved on many levels and in many ways. I watched as the misfits went from hotspot to hotspot, taking enemy fire, being hit with a roadside EID, and when they get to a suspected insurgent house, the Captain tells his men to watch their muddy boots when they go inside because it's a Muslim holiday. The pressure of being in combat and wondering what car coming beside you may be filled with explosives should be enough to keep your mind occupied. Having to remember the local customs, trying to be courteous and professional at the same time is multi-tasking taken to a new level. I am so impressed with these young men.

The Army's mission in the past has been to kill people and break things. That is what is does. The mission-shift ability in the past few military engagements is a credit to it's leadership and the men and women of our armed forces.
Building schools, hospitals and farmers markets is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think about an armored cavalry regiment. When their area cools down, they go back to getting the power back on, fixing roads and rebuilding schools. What a magnificent testimony to the character of our military and our nation.

The program also shows the human price being paid by these soldiers. The memorial service for Spc. Babbitt, a misfit that was killed in an ambush, brought me to the point of tears. His fellow misfits talk about his family and the love he had for them, especially his son. I think of my son, and what he would do if I were killed. Who would show him all the little things, how to shave, how to drive a stick, how to ask for your first date? Spc. Babbitt's son will not be able to ask his dad. My heartfelt prayers go out to all those who have lost loved ones and family in the war on terror.

One of the best moments of the program was taking one of the soldiers to the Baghdad airport. As the convoy of humvees move past a small group of Iraqi children are standing next to the road smile and wave at the soldiers. One of the men says 'the children love us'.
Lets hope so.