It need not be a war a half a world away in Iraq or Afghanistan for trained guardians of American security to face chilling dangers during their risky assignments.
Consider the plight of Idaho State Police trooper Chris Glenn, who lies in a Boise hospital with neck and spinal injuries inflicted by a fleeing suspect's gunshot.
How familiar this tragedy sounds.
Daily news reports out of Iraq tell of GIs dutifully checking for terrorists, only to be wounded—or killed—in ambushes, by car bombs or roadside explosive devices.
Trooper Glenn and U.S. troops in war zones receive modest enough compensation, but arguably too little when a bullet can maim for life or kill.
Just as Idahoans should show their appreciation and financial support for Trooper Glenn in the tough times that lie ahead for him and his family, Americans should never be so callous as to forget the needs of men and women giving their bodies and lives to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Homefolks have remarkably leapt into action when word seeped out of the battle zone that troops lacked provisions and equipment—properly the responsibility of the Pentagon.
Families bought better body armor to send to the war zone, for example.
And there have been other new wrinkles in the war effort as well. Health care professionals on the home front have done their part in a curious way. They have provided heroic, specialized treatment for badly wounded and disfigured Iraqi and Afghani civilians, humane gestures that have helped ease the tensions Americans face in their duties in unfamiliar cultures.
When more is required at home for all the protectors of Americans, there should be no hesitancy.
Law enforcement officers on the frontlines in the fight against crime deserve compensation commensurate with their risks. Taxpayers should insist on that. Deliberate acts of violence that wound police, such as the shooting of Trooper Glenn, deserve prompt and swift punishment. Taxpayers should demand that of the criminal justice system.
A demanding challenge lies ahead for Americans at home as thousands of permanently disabled veterans of the war on terror return. Their handicaps will require special understanding and generosity as they seek jobs, housing to accommodate their injuries and perhaps a lifetime of medical care that should never be compromised by political budget cutters.
Those who give so much to protect deserve care in equal measure from those whose lives are made safer.
