Posted by
Scottie on Thursday, May 24, 2007 12:09:33 PM
I had a brief conversation with a co-worker this morning that startled me. I was changing some tires for a big truck and cleaning up the white letters on them when my co-worker said, “I bet if they made tires with ‘Bush Sucks’ on the sidewalls, they would be popular”. When I asked who he thought would buy those tires, he replied, “the soldiers returning from Iraq.”
I said, ‘I don’t think so. The military doesn’t hold that kind of animosity toward Bush.”
He went further, “So you think they’re happy killing people and raping women for Bush then?”
I replied, “That’s not what they’re doing. Those are Americans over there. They’re from the heartland of America. Those are the sons and daughters of friends of ours. Unless those are your values, how can you attribute them to people that are just like you?”
What a disconnect! Needless to say, the conversation died at that point. I knew without asking that this guy had never served in the military. Nothing dishonorable there, many do not choose that path. But it is stunning that someone so utterly ignorant about the military would presume to speak such garbage on their behalf. Let’s set the record straight here.
Our men and women in uniform serve this country with honor and distinction every day and night because they want to. They endure endless hardships in far flung places to defend our country and its interests. They do not come from the lower classes of society; they come from the broad middle. They are educated young people seeking to contribute to a country that offers more opportunity and freedom to its citizens that any other on the face of the earth. They are the guardians of that freedom and they know it.
While it may be popular to denigrate the War in some circles, it is unconscionable to slander our sons and daughters in such a fashion, especially while they remain in harms way. No one serving in the military would ever exhibit such irresponsibility and lack of discipline. That behavior is reserved for those that sleep safely at night and pursue their dreams and happiness under the vigilant care and protection of much more honorable people. When you hear these casual slanders of our young men and women in uniform, grow a backbone, drop a pair and speak up! It's far less than we are asking of our soldiers.
Scottie