It seems lately that I have had more than my share of people approaching me and thanking me for the work I do. I say thanks and mumble something about I do nothing special and move on my way. I guess that most of us that work in fields where people view us as doing something special just think of all of the nonsense we put up with. I really wonder if people would think we were special if they came and ran a shift with us. Most people would be amazed if they came and ran a shift with us "life-savers". I try to be very honest with those closest to me, but I always give them the good stories. At least I get to take that from this job.
But there are people in this world who truly deserve our thanks and praise. These people are the soldiers that whether deployed or on a base somewhere here in the US are ready to strike out against tyranny and oppression anywhere in the world. These are the people that keep us safe and allow us to pursue the fruits of our freedom. I wish that most Americans had a better understanding of what our soldiers go through. I wish I had a better understanding.
The United States has not always made the best decisions when it comes to warfare. I mean to say that we have not always allowed our military to fight to win. It is a shame that we base our military stratagems on DOMESTIC politics. DO we need to worry about the rest of the world? Until we are self sufficient as a nation it makes sense to pay attention to the nations that we need as trade partners or that we need specific raw materials from. But paying attention is not the same as kowtowing to them.
But the fact that the president feels like he has to take an opinion poll every time he sneezes much less put a theater strategy in place is disheartening to me. We (the nation) elect our president and give them great responsibility. We give them the power to wage war on other nations and to press the objectives of the United States. When the president, regardless of who he is, allows public opinion to dictate war policy we will never win.
I never served in our military. It is the only true regret I have in my life. I have had several veterans tell me I missed nothing and I should be happy with how my life turned out. I am happy, but I wish I had the perspective of experience. I wish I could look on these people as comrades in arms but I can't. I have to listen to their stories to get a glimpse of their lives. Maybe that is why I am such a fan of reading military history. I try to get as much of a sense of what our soldiers go through as I can.
All of the above is the long way of saying that we should be eternally grateful to the men and women who serve and have served in the armed forces of this country. We should be aggressive in our support for these brave souls who risk their lives for those of us who won't risk ours. I know that I am very appreciative of the sacrifices that are made by these citizens and their families.
Thanks guys and gals. Specifically; Justin, Brad, Bud, Lynn, Pete, Don, Ryan, Dan, Jim, Jonathan, Meriah and all of your families. I know that I will always appreciate all you have ever done for me and my family!
Stay Safe & Merry Christmas,
Rob
Well Grasshopper, there are just some experiences that you don't really need to see or live.
ReplyDeleteYour sentiment is certainly appreciated, but the simple truth is, the experience is not something that I would wish for anyone - especially the way this country has continued to slide.
Someone wiser than I said that the words "career" and "politician" should never be used in the same sentence. That is never more true than when you have to watch them play games and try and run things they know nothing about. We have been in trouble since Korea and it only gets worse, not better. Even more reason to re-elect no one.
There is a reason it is called war. Not limited war, not hostilities, but war. You either fight all out to win or you stay the hell out. Period.
Your "cool" crowd might not agree with that. The politicos certainly don't. But guess what. Not believing something does not make it untrue.
Yeah, I know. Getting grumpy in my old age.
Anyway, thanks for the thanks.
'Noid
I agree completely. I'm in the same boat as you Rob. I never served and sometimes I regret it. My Dad was drafted for Vietnam and spent his tour in Germany, but he always told me that "I didn't miss anything." Besides, when I graduated high school, the world was pretty quiet, all that was going on was Kosovo and Somalia. Domestic policy dictating foreign policy is a subject better discussed over beers and cigars. As Herm Edwards said, "You play to win the game." You should fight to win the war. Peace through superior firepower is how we should conduct our foreign policy. It's how I conduct mine. I know you wrote this to thank the vets and those who sacrificed so we can blog and argue and get pissed @ our government for putting in the prevent defense strategy to try to win 2 wars, but I know you did it so you could use the words "tyranny and oppression" in your blog. Thank you to the vets. Happy Christmas, New Year and Festivus.
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