Instead of calling it "Lisa's Blog," which seems very bland and uninteresting, I will now title my website musings "On My Mind." My editorials each week tend to be more issue oriented, so I want my blog to be a little more personal and random.

I will be using this space to share with you some topics that happen to be "on my mind" at the time I sit down at my computer to write my blog. This more spontaneous format may produce more than a weekly blog so be sure to check our website on a regular basis to find out what's on my mind.

Right now, I want to let you know how impressed I am with a young man who graduated in 2003 from Cassville High School. His name is Sam Lawson and his story appears on the front page of this week's Cassville Democrat.

I knew Sam when he was a student and a member of the Wildcat soccer team. Sam is one of those very likeable guys who always had a smile on his face and seemed to be friends with everyone. I know he was very accepting of my oldest son, Nick, when he joined the soccer team's varsity line-up as a freshman.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Sam face to face for our interview about his military experience, and I came away from our meeting with loads of respect for the young man Sam had become. He is truly a hometown hero in my eyes and a young man that our school-age children would do well to follow as a role model.

Sam was not able to go into great detail about his time in Afghanistan, but from some of the information he shared, I know the situation there was tense at times and his ability to gather intelligence and stay calm in crisis situations, served him well.

It was like pulling teeth to get Sam to talk about what he accomplished in Afghanistan, and if his dad, Rick, hadn't dropped by the office during our interview, I don't think Sam would have told me he was the recipient of two Bronze Stars. Civilians may not realize that Bronze Stars are not given out often, and the fact that Sam earned two of them, is an indicator of his courage, bravery and leadership during a time of war.

I also appreciated learning a soldier's opinion of the media's coverage of the U.S. war effort. Sam couldn't have been more adamant when he stated that the articles he reads and the television news stories he watches don't match up to what he experienced when he was serving in Afghanistan.

While there is plenty of opportunity to capture sad and haunting images of suffering people, Sam was quick to point out that he and his unit spent a lot of their time and resources trying to making life better for the Afghan people. He expressed his wish that the media would balance their account of the war and tell more of the positive stories of humanitarian efforts that are occurring in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I was pleased to hear that the general population was supportive of Sam's service to his country. He said some of the people who are most appreciative are Vietnam vets who don't want current soldiers to experience the reception they did when they returned from war. I hope there's a lesson there that America will never repeat.

I'm not someone who likes war and I don't mind telling you I will be happy when we get our troops out of the Middle East. We're spending too much money on a war that seems to have no end. I believe there are deep cultural and religious factions at work in those countries that will always war against one another, and permanent peace is impossible. But regardless of my feelings about war itself, I have never faltered in my support of the men and women who are serving in those conflict zones and risking their lives in the name of freedom.

If you happen to run into Sam when he's in town visiting his parents, be sure to shake his hand and tell him thank you. He's a tremendous young man, and it was an honor to feature his story in our newspaper.