Emergency physician and veteran Dr. Tom Gross writes in the Marin (CA) Independent Journal:

People ask me why I serve in the Reserves. People ask me why I choose to serve in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

The answer is simple. I have known Kate since the moment she was born. Her dad and I had met in the service. We flew together in the same helicopters. He rescued my sorry wet butt after my helicopter crashed into the sea. I was the best man at his wedding.

Now, Kate is 17 and, like her father, has entered the armed forces. She'll be out of basic training before she is old enough to vote or to buy her dad a beer. Before long, she'll be in harm's way, placing herself somewhere between us and those who seek to do us harm.