Technology

We are so fortunate to live in a time when technology makes it possible to communicate with people all over the world. I remember my father telling me about his trip to the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. My grandfather was the Headmaster of a Boys School on an island in Boston Harbor. Dad recalled visiting the telephone exhibit where they made a long distance phone call to his mother. He said it was so amazing to be able to talk from New York to Boston.

Sometimes I think about the families of past wars. How difficult it must have been to go months, even years, without hearing from your soldier. Since TB never complains, I have to be a detective if I want to know how he’s doing, other than “tired, it was a long day”. I’m fortunate that I can see what TB’s soldiers are saying. I can “read” their moods and tell how it might be for him. That information gives me something to follow-up on when I talk to him. It’s amazing what you can find out if you know what to ask. I’ve learned to ask TB specific questions. At times the questions go unanswered. Today I asked him about something and he said he couldn’t tell me. I really hate when that happens. I always feel like I should know, but like I told him, until I ask I don’t know that some things are off limits. Although we are lucky to have so many ways to stay connected to our soldiers, we also have to be mindful of what we say. Technology is a double-edged sword.