When the first jury duty notice came in the mail, personal reasons forced me to postpone. When the second notice arrived, my options had run out, so last week I joined a throng of 200 other disgruntled citizens reluctantly doing their civic duty. Imagine my surprise when, thanks to a judge cheerleader, I ended that day eager to serve not only my city but my country.

I’m not sure how the courts operate in other boroughs, but in Staten Island we have retired Judge Cannizzaro to warm up the audience. He sauntered cheerfully into the holding room for potential jurors and demanded that they shout “good morning” loud enough for his failing hearing. The World War II veteran then proceeded to tell a variety of senior citizen jokes that produced loud groans and grins. Among the gems: “I woke up this morning, checked the obituaries, and didn’t see my name, so I got dressed and came here.” You can tell you’re old, he said, “when the parts of your body that don’t hurt, don’t work.”

He then drifted into the Henny Youngman standard and said, “I told my wife that I wanted to make love to her in the worst way, and she said, ‘Well, you did.'” In between the jokes, he’d continually thank the potential jurors for being there, noting that we no longer had a choice since Governor Pataki decreed that there would be no more excuses for not serving.

Sure, the jokes were lame and timeworn, but one couldn’t help but smile at the judge’s attempts to lighten the mood in the room. Then the unexpected happened: The judge became serious. He said, “Since September 11, 2001, the world changed. Nearly 3,000 ordinary men and women just doing their daily jobs were killed by terrorists.”

I can only paraphrase the rest of his speech because we were all spellbound by the judge’s words. He spoke of the fact that the victims were of all different nationalities, religions, and colors. They were killed, he said, because terrorists were attacking our way of life. The men and women volunteers in the military are fighting to protect Americans and our freedom, the judge said, and they have been asked to sacrifice their lives.

“You are being asked to sacrifice your time,” he said. “Our judicial system is the finest in the world and we need you to keep it that way. We thank you for your service and remember that when you are sitting in that courtroom, away from your family and jobs, our military are ducking bullets and living under very harsh conditions.”

He then asked us to stand for a moment of silence in memory of those brave men and women who have died to preserve and protect our freedom.

Before the judge spoke, I had been trying to figure out a way to get out of serving on a jury, but those thoughts soon flew away. I realized I had an obligation to do my civic duty as best as I could. As we then recited the Pledge of Allegiance, the words “under God” seemed to be said louder than the others.

The judge spoke of the importance of supporting our troops, yet many New Yorkers seem to think the best way to do so is to insist that the GIs come home before their mission is complete. On Saturday, a peace rally was held near my home. I wasn’t able to make it because of my grandson’s birthday party. Had I been there, I would have asked these anti-war protesters if there was anything they ever felt was worth dying for. In World War II, we went to war against Germany after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. That attack killed nearly 3,000 military personnel. The enemies we are now fighting have killed ordinary men, women, and children and has been attacking us on various fronts since 1973. They murder anyone who does not agree with their religious mission of world domination. These rallies demean the troops by insinuating that their actions are meaningless.

I will be serving on a jury in the next few weeks and while my service is important, it pales in comparison to the sacrifices of our troops. Those who wish to truly support the troops who are in harm’s way can provide them with letters and packages from home. There are many organizations that provide information on their needs and provide their addresses. Try www.operationgratitude.com or www.anysoldier.com.

What better way to serve our country than to serve our troops?

To comfort the wounded recovering at Walter Reed Hospital, register at adoptasoldier.bigjohnmiska.com.