As I write this post I'm sitting in my room looking at the memento's of a life and career in the Army. Each worn and fading object representing a different moment in my life, a different person or persons, place or event that has touched and changed my life in some way. It is a warm comfortable feeling that settles in me as I contemplate these objects because I know that each and everyone of the people and events these objects represent affected me and the course of my life. Some of these gentle and sometimes not so gentle touches were for the good and some for the bad but in the end I can say all for the best. And as I look from one to the other and see the often battle scarred faces and places they represent I like to think that perhaps I have made some small positive difference in their lives. All in all it has been a life I would not trade for all the gold or treasures of the world.
You know, not one part of a soldiers life is easy. Yes, for 20 or 30 years, not one part easy. It seems to cover the whole spectrum from teeth grinding boredom to muscle paralyzing fear and everywhere in between. Did you ever think about that? Did you ever think what must be going on inside of a soldier as they check and double check and recheck their vehicles and gear before going through the gates on yet another patrol or convoy? Did you ever wonder what it's like to be walking a dusty side street in a god forsaken dirty desert town not knowing what's in the next doorway or what's around the next corner or on the next roof? Did you ever wonder what's going through their minds as they ride down some dusty street not knowing which bump is going to be an IED that's going to send shrapnel and vehicle parts trough their bodies and rip off their arms and legs?...........Do you know what's not on their minds? Medals aren't on their minds. Ribbons and plaques are not on their minds and ticker tape parades are not on their minds. If they're smart and lucky the sounds and smells and sights of the moment are on their minds because that's all that is going to keep them alive for this one more patrol. If they're unlucky, their moms and dads and wives and children are on their minds and because they are on their minds they'll make a mistake and they won't go back to see those they love or at least they won't go back in one piece. Think about that for a moment. Can you just imagine how hard it must be? Can you imagine how hard it must be to make yourself not think about those you love; to not think about those you love just when that is what you want and need so badly it hurts down in your guts?
These are the things that I think about every single day. Every day I think about soldiers, sailors, and airmen in Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Europe and all over the world. I think of them in stifling desert heat and sand and waist deep mountain snow. I think of them in rocky holes in high mountains and knee deep mud in tropical swamps. I think of them with their families on a post or base in Kentucky, Texas, Georgia or North Carolina and I think of them alone on the deck of some ship in the middle of the Indian Ocean. I think about them, their families and friends think about them, and if you're reading this you probably think about them but, believe it or not there are thousands if not millions who do not think about them. They do not think about them because they do not have to think about them. These are the same thousands if not millions who are reaping the bounty of these soldiers' sacrifices. These are the same thousands if not millions who choose to not think about the soldiers because they and their little world are safe and neither they nor their children have to serve or sacrifice.
This is the folly of not having a national service obligation. This absence of an obligation to serve allows people to become lazy and disconnected from the broader world. It allows them to retreat into their consumer world of Wal-Mart and Target or into their neighborhood mall and not think about the thousands of innocent people who are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan or the thousands of soldiers who are bleeding and dying for them around the world. It allows them to ignore the poverty right here in America and certainly the rest of the world. It allows them to suffer the elements by standing in line for days to buy the first new video game system but not to stand in line to vote. They think that it is their God given right to mindlessly shop and drive and to burn precious fuel because "that's why God put it here"; he put it here just so I can drive to the mall. These people are so lazy and self absorbed that they cannot find the intestinal fortitude or presence of mind to take the one action most readily available to them and every other American and the one action in their immediate possession to defend the constitution and that act is the simple act of voting.
It is my thought that the absence of a national service obligation has created an elitist attitude among a large number of people in this country who believe it is the responsibility of someone else to defend the nation and it is the responsibility of someone else to fight terrorism. This lack of national service obligation has created, not an atmosphere of shared responsibility, but a self-serving atmosphere of you go and die for your country or send your child but leave me and my child alone. And, this atmosphere of self-centered elitism was, if not created then certainly fueled by George W. Bush and his administration. It is also George W. Bush and his administration along with the other elitist that hold a lions share of the responsibility for our being in Iraq today and for our failed foreign and domestic policies.
I must add that I believe it is the millions of non-voters who have, by their inaction, allowed the radical minority to determine the fate and direction of our nation. In the day of the volunteer military it is perhaps reasonable that people choose not to serve in the military and perhaps it is even reasonable that they not serve their nation in some civil capacity but it is absolutely unforgivable that they would not walk out their door and go to a voting booth and at least cast their vote in defense of the constitution and this is the very reason I champion national service. We citizens of this great nation who do defend our country and our constitution deserve to have that gift and burden shared. We deserve to have it shared by all and that includes those elitist who think it beneath them as well as those who are so apathetic and unpatriotic as to not vote. I believe this is true even if it means a mandatory national service obligation for ALL citizens of this great nation.
Those Are The Sergent Major's Thoughts On That.
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4 comments:
Mandatory national service is a bad idea for a free society. The government-oriented view of national service contrasts sharply with the idea of a "citizen service" that protects and strengthens civil society, focuses on service rather than social change, promotes true volunteerism, and addresses real problems--while minimizing the role of government.
National service that is mandated, paid for, and organized by the government encourages individuals to look to the state for assistance. Not a good idea.
You’d be better off if you could just ban or limit televisions.
One other thought...would you really want everyone who has a legal right to vote to actually do it? That's like having everyone who is of legal age driving. Not the best situation for those who are on the road. Just because you're old enough to drive/vote doesn't mean you're qualified to do so.
I agree that we need to discuss some national service for all youth who are 18 are older. I'm not sure I'd agree that it should be military service.
Both my girls served in Americorp upon graduating from high school. I believe this has helped them as adults. My oldest is a school teacher. My youngest is using the money she earned to get her degree. She is in her second year of college.
Their service taught them many things, and only they could tell you what lessons were learned. As their father, I saw both of them mature into adults. The break from school was good for both of them and helped in decisions on what to study.
I was against the draft when I graduated in 1968 and participated in protests. I was glad to see the draft end. But, I agree with you that this has had unintended consequences for all of us.
Perhaps part of my change of mind is because I'm getting older (56), but I believe that you are right that many of our young adults don't understand the sacrifices our veterans make everyday. I agree it is a hard life.
My father served for over 24 years in the Air Force and the Army Air Corp. I served a much shorter time in the Air Force. My heart goes out to all of those who have been put in harms way for us. My heart goes out to their families and friends.
The Surge:
What are your thought son this?
Freedom is not free. It is incumbent upon each person who enjoys the freedom of our society to do their part to protect it. The steady erosion of our constitutional rights is a direct outgrowth of the devaluing of citizen participation.
The anonymous commenter says that national service encourages individuals to look to the state for assistance. I disagree. I think the idea that has been promulgated that individuals should not have to pay for any of the goods/services they enjoy IS state assistance. People think they shouldn't have to pay taxes, shouldn't have to perform national service, shouldn't have to do anything but sit on their butts and wait for the government to hand them the goods and services (defense, roads, fire and police protection, national parks) they demand are "rightfully" theirs.
If that isn't welfare, what is it? The Devine Rights of Royalty? That is precisely the elitist attitude Sgt. Myers correctly opposes. The same attitude that wants to discourage people from voting because they aren't "qualfied." A far better solution would be to ensure that every registered voter is qualified: return to teaching civics in school, require national service before anyone can get a driver's license.
I do like the way Mexico does national service: mandated 2 years of national service, no exceptions. Military service is one option, but there are many others -- you can choose from an approved list or you can set something up yourself that meets the criteria. And if you want to go to college, they have a college program like ROTC, only with lots of options besides military, so you can fulfill your national service obligation without interrupting your education. A couple of examples: my brother-in-law was an accounting major, so he worked in the office of the Mexican IRS for his service.It was just like an internship, and helped him get a job after college, too. My nephew is a computer science major and he is working in the immigration office designing databases. It wasn't a "listed program," but his father knew someone in that office who agreed to supervise his service, so my nephew was allowed to use that work for national service.
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