There are many good people in America who want to support our troops. They send cards, letters, care packages and their prayers to the men and women who are serving this country. They donate to organizations that help our wounded service members, they volunteer in the USO, they give blood and reach out to the families left behind. Each and every one of these actions helps our troops. Even the smallest gesture – a child’s drawing sent to a deployed Marine, a $2 donation to The Fisher House – each of these acts of support and appreciation lets our soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen know that they are not forgotten.

But for those of us who want to do more, who want to not only support our troops but actively help in the fight against terrorism, is there anything we can do? The answer is yes. We don’t have to enlist in the military, we don’t have to join the reserves, we can join the fight from our living rooms. There are ways that we, as civilians can take up metaphorical arms against the enemies our troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and the terrorists who seek to threaten and destroy our way of life. Does that sound far fetched? It is possible.

There are ways, some big and some small, that we can actively join the fight against terrorism. There are organizations that are working to provide our troops with the items they need to build trust and relationships with the Iraqi people. You can donate to these organization and help our troops win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people and encourage them to take a stand against the insurgents who will, when it comes down to it, attack the Iraqi people just as they have attacked our troops.

The current fight on Capital Hill over the war is another front you can join. Write your Congressmen or women and demand that they stop retreating. Demand that they commit themselves to victory. If you are a gifted public speaker, you can reach out to your community and work to bridge cultural and religious gaps within your own neighborhood. The more we promote understanding and tolerance between different groups, the more we will promote peace and the terrorist will lose their influence. Encourage alternate sources of energy. Oil gives money to the terrorists. If we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we will take money out of the hands of the fanatics who will use that money to attack us.

There are ways we can fight against terrorists and fanatics as living room soldiers. We don’t all have the ability or availability to join the military, but we can all use our intelligence, our resources, even the internet to fight against the enemies who, I promise you, are already fighting against us.