In my congregation, at the end of the prayer requests every week, we read the names and ages of those United States servicemen and servicewomen who died in Afghanistan during the past week. (We started this after the United States pulled out of Iraq.)

We like to honor the sacrifice of these men and women by remembering their family and friends in our prayers.

Some weeks there are a lot of names. Some weeks there are only a few names. One week there was only one name, but that was only one week. Almost all of them seem very young. Too young.

No matter what, it is always a somber moment in the service.

After hearing these names for only a couple weeks, I began to see a pattern: A lot of the names are Latino. A lot. Look online for yourself.

Now I know our nation is long overdue for a debate and some decisions about illegal immigration. And we need to have that debate. But sometimes when I’m talking to those vehemently opposed to illegal immigrants, the discussion can flirt with moving from anti-illegal immigrant and move into being anti-immigrant, and anti-Mexican and Latino. Broad, ugly statements get made about the character of all Mexicans and all Latinos.

And that’s when I want to remember those names I hear every Sunday.

That should be a line in the sand we will not cross in our nation. The Mexicans and Latinos who gave their lives for this country deserve our respect. They earned it.

And anyone who doesn’t want to give that to them, well, loses my respect.

Now when I hear these names, the many Latino names and the many other names each week, I also realize how much we don’t know about them. Where did they grow up? Were they married? Did they have children? Did they have a boyfriend or a girlfriend?

I’m sure some grew up in many different parts of the country, some were married, some had children, and some of the young men had girlfriends, and some of the young women had boyfriends.

But I’m just as sure that some of the young men had boyfriends and some of the young women had girlfriends.

If let’s say 1 person in 10 is gay (which is a conservative estimate), that would mean of the thousands who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, hundreds were gay.

Now there has been talk about reinstating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the armed forces after the next election, and there is the ongoing debate about gay marriage throughout our nation. And sometimes when I am talking to those most vehemently in support of returning to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and most vehemently opposed to gay marriage, the discussion can drift into broad, ugly statements about the character of all gay men and women.

And that’s when I want to remember those names I hear every Sunday.

Because, even though I can’t tell by their names, some of those who have given their lives for our country were gay.

And they deserve our respect. And they have earned it. And anyone who doesn’t give it to them loses my respect.

And this, too, should be a line in the sand our nation will not cross. Ever.

Craig Rose is pastor of Howard United Methodist Church in Howard. He can be reached at craigqr@yahoo.com.