Happy Veterans Day
Veteran's Day is one of my favorite recognized holidays. I like it so much because it is a time to honor and celebrate the men and women that have served our country in the Armed Forces. Regardless of your political affiliation, religious affiliation, ethnic background or financial position, one thing we, as a community, can all do is honor those people that have offered to give their all in the service of this country.
As I write this I am reminded that there are several men that I personally of that have served in the military. My father served in the US Army in Korea in the 1950's. My father-in-law served in the US Navy in Vietnam in the early 1970's. Two of my very best friends served in the US Navy right out of high school. The bravery, commitment and service that these
men showed is indicative of a great many soldiers serving the country in the Armed Forces.
So today, if you by chance happen up a man or woman in uniform, ask to shake their hand and tell them thanks for being a hero and being willing to risk all so the rest of us don't have to.
What good is she doing?
I was reading the news today and found an article that talks about Cindy Sheehan, a woman from Berkeley, California who had a son in the military. Her son was deployed to Iraq where he was killed in action supporting the military efforts of our country. Some time later she set up a small camp outside of President Bush's vacation home in Crawford, Texas as a way to protest the war in Iraq. She garnered national media attention for her durability during her protest.
The article I stumbled on mentioned that someone set up a memorial monument carved out of sandstone to honor this woman for her efforts in trying to have our troops removed from Iraq. If I understand it correctly they want an end to the killing overseas.
Quick question
If there is to be an end to any killings, how is that going to be achieved? There are two possibilities. The first is to just let the zealots that are murdering innocent men, women and children to continue to do their deed. As this activity progresses they will run out of people to kill and will either kill themselves, start killing others outside their country or stop killing. Problem solved, right? That is until they start stealing our airplanes and flying them into our skyscrapers. Or until they start bombing our embassies in other countries. No wait, that is acceptable because it doesn't involve anyone's son.
The next possibility is to actually assist those people that are being slaughtered by defending them with the same amount of force that is being used against them. Call me silly, but when the United States of America liberated Afghanistan, women were allowed to walk outside, with their faces uncovered even, people were not taken to the soccer stadium and shot in front of their families "because it is too late to stop it, they are expecting an execution", children were not murdered in front of their parents to show them a lesson. Defending that country was a good thing for their country. It looked awful when we saw it on TV and when we heard about all the US soldiers that were dying over there. But the pain we inflicted on those murderous savages that imprisoned that entire country was enough to bring freedom to that country. Our troops did a good thing over there.
An army of one
Another thing I find appalling with those that protest against the conflicts in the Middle East is that they have lost sight of the fact that our armed forces are essentially staffed with volunteers. These men and women were not forced to join the military. They chose to take up arms in the defense of our country and what our country defends. They chose to protect freedom at the cost of their very lives. They knew what they were getting into when they signed up. Why does this shock so many people?
Police officers know that when they become officers of the law that there is a potential for them to have to offer their life in the enforcement of the law. Firefighters know that there is a chance that they may have to risk their life in order to save another life. That is why they are heroes. That is why our US soldiers are heroes. Because even though they know that they face a good possibility of pending death, they perform their duties without regard to self. That speaks a lot louder to me than some protest.
It is my opinion that this country should rally around our troops, our government and our country. Am I saying that everyone should be happy that our troops are dying? No. Am I saying that everyone should approve of what is going on or who is leading the charge? No. What I am saying is that regardless of our differences in opinion, spiritual beliefs, political ideals or sociological positions, we as a group of States, United, should do everything we can to bring encouragement and support to our troops. What they are experiencing right now is being overshadowed by a group of people that don't like the fact that our president chose to utilize our defense resources.
I will pray for Cindy Sheehan, for the loss of her son and the many other men and women that sacrificed their all for the defense of this country and countries abroad. What our troops and government need right now is to know that we love them and want them to be safe in handling their business.
