The quote in the title comes from the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Christian bible, however it is also the words inscribed on a coin also known as the Mizpah coin, which has it's roots in Judaism.
That brief history is important to put this story in context. The 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division is once again headed overseas. This time they are headed to Afghanistan, but before leaving the unit held a ceremony for the married couples in which they received a Mizpah coin, and reaffirmed their commitment to each other.
It was an emotion intensified by the reality: A week from now, most of the soldiers will be long gone as their deployment clocks start ticking down the next 12 months.
No promise of tomorrow
The symbolism of that simple ceremony with the receipt of one half of that coin for the couples is powerful. I don't know how many couples have ever spent any time away from each other. For most people this may involve that week long business trip or one member of a couple being away to tend to family business, but to those in the military the separation carries the real risk that this may be the last time they are together.
I know I find it pretty funny when I watch some of these reality shows and they have a reunion of family members with the contestants after a couple of weeks of separation. The entire season of Survivor is only 39 days.
Speaking as a guy who spent his fair share of time separated, including an entire year right after my child was born, having something like this is worth it's weight in gold. It is a constant reminder of what is at home. When times get tough it is good to have something to hold that is a tangible reminder of what is important.
So yeah, deep down inside I am old softy, but I know a couple of dozen of young soldiers, who are now old soldiers themselves, that would beg to disagree with you.
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