Thank you to all of the soldiers out there that helped defend our country and thank you to all of the family that stayed behind and supported our soldiers.
I really do mean that. I've been thinking about war and soldiers recently, and I realized that I am one of those liberal college educated people who "escaped" the war. That description I hear more often describing the men who escaped the draft by being rich and going to college during the Vietnam War. This war has been going at it for 10 years now. That's 10 years of our young leaving and fighting for us. I remember 7 years ago or so being upset because all of the military ads were aimed at poor young men and farmers. System of a Down came up with a song at that time too, B.Y.O.B., asking why we always send the poor to war. But it's not a new thing, it's always been this way for hundreds of years.
I was thinking about it and thinking about it and thinking about how much the soldiers do sacrifice and what they are doing, and I can't understand. I never had agreed with the war from Sept 12 and onward. How can a person risk so much for such a cause? I wanted to ask a soldier, and then I realized I don't know any. Well, I know 2 people who spent time in Iraq, but I am not close to either of them. One is a cousin and one is the husband of a friend. Let me rephrase some of that, I don't know any soldiers from the war of my generation.
How do I not know any?
When I travel, the airlines always let the soldiers on after the first class people and before us common people who chose not to spend money to board first. I think that's stupid. The soldiers should just board first. Really, who's paying more? My last flight had 10 soldiers who had been wounded in combat boarding. Everyone stood up and clapped for them who was waiting to get on the plane. I also see people stop soldiers and thank them for what they are doing in airports a lot too. I am too shy to do that, but I always give them the right of way onto the escalators and try not to cut them off or get in their way extra hard when going through the airport.
I was also thinking about why being a war hero is used to help get a person elected as president. How does being ex-military (is that the right term?), help you be a president more? It's a new question for me. I'm thinking it has to do with the fact that if they were willing to risk their life for our country when they were young, then imagine how much they will sacrifice now for our country as president. Again, I don't know how much I agree with that. I guess it is just a factor, a part, of what makes a person a good president, and it certainly can't hurt.
To reconcile how I can support the troops but not the war: I trust my government (the over arching and long spanning views of the government), and part of the government is the military arm. I cannot control that arm, so I trust the government to do so. And I trust the soldiers , as the fingers of that arm, to do their best, to in the grand scheme of things, keep me safe within the ideals and thoughts of my country. And that's a pretty grand thing.
2 comments:
I enjoyed this very much. As I do all your blogs. I have never thanked military people either. I should tho. My uncle gets free dinners ALL the time. He was almost a general. Now he's a professor. He probably hates kids. I would. I remember being really mad about the poor being targeted for military too. Your right tho, nothing new. I guess my biggest testimony to how much I trust the government is they I RARELY stop to think of what they are doing. I know that's ignorant and ppl say you should but the truthis, in America, you can do that and be taken care of. That part is nice. I miss you. Clo
C-Lo, I seem to remember you thanking Aaron (one of Dan's friends) for defending our country. :D And you are right, you DON"T have to be knowledgeable about the government here to be taken care of. I just realized the other day that my work "advocates" for the Tribes, which means "lobby" but doesn't involve money. It's not a field I flourish in.
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