Op-Ed: Would you go to war to save my children and yours?

If an armed and dangerous enemy of our great state and nation were found to be massing at our borders, determined to harm our most vulnerable, would you join the fight to protect your neighbor? I trust you would.

If the state and local authorities supplied you with the best protective gear and the best weapons, would you don them and take them into battle, even if your safety could not be guaranteed? For the protection of my children and yours, I trust you would.

Many of you, enlisted in our nation’s military or guard, have already signed up to fight the combatants. You would charge into battle without questioning the orders of your commanding officers. But if the enemy marching or sailing toward our borders were so formidable that extra bodies were needed, would you and your civilian neighbors answer the call and take up arms, even if it required you to put your body on the line? I trust most of you would. Because this is what our history tells us we, as Americans, have done, time and time again, to protect our great nation and our loved ones.

COVID, and its current delta variant, now has our towns and our nation in a similar, if much more dire, situation. In this case, the enemy has already landed. It is creeping through our communities, our children’s schools, cloaked and impossible to detect until its poison has been delivered.

Our best doctors and scientists are sounding the call to arms, asking our currently unvaccinated countrymen and women, both the vulnerable and the strong, to put your very bodies in harm’s way in order to protect my children and yours.

They are willing to give you the weapons, in the form of a vaccine, to combat this vicious enemy. They are not asking you to take a bullet, only a shot. And yes, there could be casualties. No, we cannot absolutely guarantee you won’t be injured (although our best scientists and current real life data suggest the risk is incredibly small).

Nevertheless, it is your body. If you do decide to help, your sacrifice, no matter how big or small, would be recognized and greatly appreciated. Your autonomy is important. It is your body, and we understand this may be difficult. But will you Do this for our country, our neighbors and our children? Will you please get vaccinated?

Please. I trust you will.

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Dr. Eric Heidenreich is a Coeur d'Alene resident.