Delftsman

Quote of the Day

"It is the soldier, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."
~Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, Sargeant, USMC

I thought that this was appropiate for the day after Memorial Day. I think that it should be a poster put up in evey classroom in America. It seems that some peope don't "get it". While cruising through some comments at other sites I found statements such as "Most days I don't even think about the war anymore. I don't know anyone who's over there or who's going so it's not a big deal to me...." and "It's all about choices. If your smart you don't choose to join the army or whatever, cause you know you are probably going to have to go to a war somewhere."

To that person, I say,: You DO know everyone that is over there; they are your fellow Americans. They are the clerk in the store you buy your groceries at; they are the teachers that taught at your school; they are the policemen that patrolled your neighborhood; She was a teller at your bank, he was the guy that delivered your new furniture. They are all a part of your everyday life, and they put their regular lives on hold so that you could continue to blithely remain ignorant of the evil that is howling outside the door like a ravenous wolf. A soldier has nothing to do with choosing where and when, or even why, they fight. They make no policy, they just carry it out, trusting that our leaders know the where,when and why.

You may have a problem with the decisions of those leaders, and protest them if you feel strongly enough about it, but just remember that it is those selfsame soldiers that give you those rights, and keep you comfortable enough to be able to debate the politics.

Yes, if you join the Armed Services, there is a possibility that you will be called on to travel to some pretty miserable places and do some miserable, dirty, and dangerous things. Many times you won't even know why your there. But you have to have faith that in some way, it helps furthur the maintenance of our freedom.

In the end, it usually boils down to not letting your squad mates down. You don't think about the big issues, or the high flying rhetoric; you just do the best job you can protecting the guy next to you, and hope he's doing the same for you. But out of that mutual protection comes the force needed to support the the ideals and the rhetoric we can debate about, safely nestled here at home. It's up to US, the people, to hold our leaders accountable. But to be able to hold those leaders accountable, we need to be educated and involved. The troops have been doing their job for the last 200+ years; sadly, the people, especially in the last 30 years haveallen far from their responsibilities.

They have allowed the "experts" to raise their children and instill their public values and haven't kept an eye on just what those "experts" are instilling in the children. Thats a whole other post, but it is part of the problem presented in this one.

All too often, what passes for public debate today is based on the "feelings" that pass for education. Memes are put out as wisdom, and "self-esteem" has been put ahead of hard nosed striving for achievment. History is being warped to fit the agenda of the moment (when it's taught at all), and realities are discounted as being "too dirty" to countenance in realpolitic.

Unless and untill we can return to old fasioned agreement on basic moral tenents and mores, we will always be a nation floundering to come to common agreement. But the Soldier is the person that allows us the time and freedom to come to those agreements. NEVER FORGET Honor their sacrifices by
takeing back your responsiblities as a citizen in a free Republic and do your best to live up to them.

Posted by Delftsman3 at May 31, 2005 06:16 PM