SACRED WORDS

My husband is a career Navy man. We have been so lucky in that he has never been involved directly in a conflict situation. Some of our friends have, and we feel both the pride and the pain vicariously. If you add up all the time we have been apart in our 17 years together due to deployments, duty watch, etc, it comes to a bit over 7 years.
But it was a reasonable price, because we both feel he is doing something worthwhile and personally satisfying, and we're still together.
It has to count for something, and your article "Sacred Words" reassures me that it does, that some people appreciate the work and sacrifices the military men and women do and make.
I may have stated all this poorly or ungracefully, and I hope this doesn't detract from the basic truth of it. I just wanted to say it all from my heart and without stopping to look things up in Roget's.
Thank you for a wonderful post. I've sent the link to all my friends and family.

There is an apochryphal story about the Korean War which describes the habit of Polish citizens tipping their hats to the Marine Guards when passing the American embassy, ostensibly a polite greeting, but quickly recognized as a salute by an oppressed people to those who were fighting the allies of their oppressor. It is unfortunate that someone like John Smith could never feel such a simple and clean respect for those who go in harm's way to defend this experiment in freedom. The sneering disdain for anyone who shows the most basic patriotic feelings is less prevalent than it once was, often disguised now as "patriotic dissent", as if spewing hatred and venomous insult toward America was a principled position that should be respected as equally brave as those who offer their lives to protect our society. I appreciate very much the material you have posted here, and I hope many more are able to read and be moved by the clean, innocent beliefs exhibited in the servicemen's letters.

Sir,
The snow was up to my knees, and the sub-Siberian wind was bitter, ripping across the mountain top on the island where I was standing my watch, just south of the North Korean border.

Others, while outwardly just as capable as I, were NOT standing ANY guard that night, because our Trick Chief could not trust them to stay their posts. Normally, we just pulled down intelligence, sent it to HQ in Seoul, and lived a relatively easy life... with spys and sappers and satchel-charge Communist zealots coming across to try their hands at killing us all, on our island...

And that night, during a horrendous storm, we lost our power when the 1/2-inch power-lines from Downside became coated with 8-inch cylinders of ice, and the poles could no longer support the tons of extra weight.

As I dealt with the pain in my legs, the bitter burning in exposed parts of my body where the wind sliced in mercilessly, my thoughts turned to the time when I was just 5, and my father had served a tour in Korea... he'd not shared much with us when he returned, we were just happy that he came back, alive and unwounded...

But during that long, cold, vexing night, I learned in my heart a knowing that would be confirmed again and again through the years, alive to this very moment...

America is worth it! I feel proud to have served, and would be in the field, on that bitter-cold mountain top today, if I were allowed.

I'll do everything I can to defuse the nay-sayers, to enlighten the America-bashers, to share and teach of America's strengths and beauties, while acknowledging the few mistakes and missteps America has made along the way.

Your work on this website is valuable, never forget that. You do a good and worthwhile work, and your courage, your ability to say 'Oh, and I'm posting this correction to an error I made yesterday..." and your continued creation of a place where patriotic, God-fearing people may gather to share insights, news and observations honors the spirit and the sacrifices of all who served in uniform, from Valley Forge through Gettysburg and Antietam, to WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam and, today, Iraq.

Thank you, Sir.

KDean 98G/98C

Serving Proudly!

Great site, great post.

A great post. Memorial Day is to honor those who served, not just have a picnic.

List A

Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Elliott Abrams, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Armey, John Ashcroft, Newt Gingrich, Bill Bennett, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft, Sean Hannity, Katherine Harris, Ann Coulter, Condeleeza Rice, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Britt Hume, Antonin Scalia, Arthur Kennedy, Ted Olson, Rep. Tom DeLay, Rep. Bob Barr, Senator Trent Lott, Senator Phil Gramm, Jack Kemp, Ken Starr, Ken Adelman, Bob Dornan, John Bolton, Andrew Card, Don Evans, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, Rep. Roy Blount, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Larry Craig, Rep. Dennis Hastert, Senator Tim Hutchinson, Senator Fred Thompson, Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Don Nickles, Senator Richard Shelby, Senator Bill Frist, Senator Rick Santorum, Rep. Mark Souder, Richard Perle, P.J. O'Rourke, George Will, Clarence Thomas, Harvey Pitt, David Stockman, John Walters, Dan Quayle, Roger Ailes, Alan Keyes, Jerry Falwell.

List B
Rep. Dick Gephardt (65-71), Rep. David Bonior (68-72), Sen. Tom Daschle (69-72), Al Gore (69-71), Bob Kerrey (MoH), Daniel Inouye (MoH), John Kerry (Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, 3 Purple Hearts), Charles Rangel (Bronze Star), Max Cleland (Silver Star & Bronze Star), Sen Ted Kennedy (51-53), Sen Tom Harkin (62-67, Reserve 68-74), Sen Jack Reed (Ranger, 71-79), Sen Fritz Hollings (Bronze Star, seven campaign ribbons), Rep. Leonard Boswell (2 DFC's, 2 Bronze Stars, Soldier's Medal), "Pete" Peterson, (POW, Purple Heart, Silver Star, Legion of Merit), Rep. Mike Thompson, (Purple Heart), Bill McBride (Bronze Star with a combat V), Gray Davis (Bronze Star), Howell Heflin (Silver Star), George McGovern (Silver Star, DFC), Walter Mondale, (51-53), John Glenn (6 DFC, Air Medal with 18 Clusters)

It is not just the guys who hear the rounds go by or see rockets and missiles pass closely by. It is also the kid sweeping snow and ice in Thule. Or the guy moving supplies from dock to ship. Another is the girl sweating at an Ammo Supply Point, passing out training ammo to some unit for qualification.

The gunfighters are important, but they don't get much done without the maintainers spinning wrenches; supply and admin types ensuring the pay and fuel is on time; or even the veterinarian types, ensuring that the food supplies and serving areas are free from pests.

Everyone who supports the effort, be the active or retired, uniformed or civilian, should be remembered and honored at all times, not just over the Memorial Day weekend.

Sapper Mike - Retired Infantryman and Engineer

Sorry Barney, Veterans Day is to honor those who served. Memorial day is to honor those who died. It is indeed unfortunate that several of the people in list B are not qualified for Memorial Day honors. Most are looked upon with contempt by their fellow vets, I assure you.
(And please study American patriotic Holidays a little more before additional posting, thank you.)

Sarge, I did completely mix up Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

So a MoH holder is worthy of honor unless he's liberal, then he's worthy of "contempt"?

Barney- you scumbag. Just like the asshloe you are, you have to go injecting politics into memorial day. You go as far as walter mondale to find Dems who served, while looking as far as cable TV commentators to find republicans who did not. You of course fail to mention either of the Bushes and Colin Powell for service, while forgetting to mention that the last Dem president also did not serve. I guess it's too much to hope that you would just say thank you for someones service to the country without it being secondary to their political views.

Did you ever serve, barney? I did, and I would like to know if you ignore my sacrifices because I disagree with your political views. So, barney, either just say 'thank you', and leave it at that, or go enlist.

Greyhawk- excellent site. excellent post. Thanks for your service.

Sapper Mike- Very true.

Here's a little passage I learned when I was a Marine.

I was that which others did not want to be,
I went where others feared to go,
and did what others could not do.

I have seen the face of terror,
I have felt the stinging cold of fear,
and tasted the sweetness of a moments love.

I have hoped, pained, and cried, but most of all;
I have lived through times that others would say are best forgotten.
At least someday I will be able to say that I was proud of what I was.

A US Marine.

Semper Fi to all my brothers out there, who are bearing the burden for us. Thank you.

Amen.

I don't cry over silly, sappy stuff.

I cried from your post.

Thank you for that--I can't go to my Grandfathers' graves, but this is close enough that I think they'd aprove.

Each Memorial Day I remember there are all too many of my friends whose name is engraved on that long black wall in Washington, DC, and an equal number whose names are only remembered by those of us who served with them. May God bless them all, wherever, however, they gave that last full measure.

Mike Weatherford
MSgt, USAF, Retired

Many went into Service as misfits, perhaps forced to do so to avoid serving jail time for some, perhaps insignificant, crime.

Some never fit the mold or molds they were put into.

Some found the mold or molds to be a second skin.

Above all, they found, perhaps for the first time, companionship. A love that exists between those who serve that consists of loneliness, fright about uncertainties, a cnofidence in knowing that others no braver, nor more frightened than they, would give all on their behalf.

They may not have been "patriotic" in the true context - if there is one. But they had expressed a love for their country and all who lived in it just by doing their job.

Some got pretty ribbons. Some got a "mention in dispatches." Many got to sleep forever in ground that was not familiar.

Many received an heritage of bad dreams. Memories too harsh to share with anyone that wasn't there.

All are owed a debt that will never, can never be repaid.

May God, in his/her infinite love, bless and protect them all.

When I read such letters so full of quiet heroisma and dedication to others I am full of admiration for the country who produces such people. They make me wish to be American. God blesses them and God bless America

O, it's Tommy this, and Tommy that, and Tommy,
how's your soul?
But it's thank you, Mr. Atkins, when the drums
begin to roll....

Yes, makin' mock of uniforms that guard you
while you sleep
Is cheaper than the uniforms, and they're
starvation cheap.

O, it's Tommy this, and Tommy that, and Tommy,
how's your soul?
But it's thank you, Mr. Atkins, when the drums
begin to roll....

Yes, makin' mock of uniforms that guard you
while you sleep
Is cheaper than the uniforms, and they're
starvation cheap.

Greyhawk: I tried to post a means of donating to the Intrepid fund on Command Post when the war in Iraq was still very hot. Spoke with someone there, and never received a return call from the Director. Maybe we can work together and double our efforts? If you're interested, let me know. And if you're a reader and are interested in donating to this fund, send me a note and let me know: alan at ommand-post dot org.

Barney refuses to mention John McCain, who spent months in a Vietnamese POW camp, but he mentions Gore, who because he was born into privilege was able to do his time in the war safely back at headquarters writing newspaper articles, where the greatest threat to his safety was a possible paper cut.

Most Americans old enough to read usually think of McCain when thinking of their politicians who served because of his tremendous sacrifice. Why does Barney omit McCain? Well, maybe he's the stupidest person on the planet. But I doubt it. I believe Barney intentionally omitted him only because McCain is a Republican. Barney is an absolutely worthless piece of f**king sh*t. He is completely unworthy of the sacrifice made by the people on his List B. You are an absoloute disgrace to this nation. I am amazed at the sacrifice made by ALL of our troops, especially when I remember that they actually made that sacrifice for people as pathetic as you.

And don't even think about claiming that you accidentally omitted McCain, because then we'll know that you ALSO are the stupidest person on the planet.

Memorial Day is intended to honor those who died, Veterans Day is intended to honor those who served. You cannot attempt to honor someone by dishonoring others, this only brings scorn. Barney can't get it right on any count.

And you know what else about Barney's lists? He can glorify Ted Kennedy all he wants...but the simple truth is that John McCain and Colin Powell would have died trying to save Mary Jo Kopechne. (well...that is...if they would have ever been out driving drunk with a young lady they weren't married to)

For Eye Opener:

My Dad also served in Korea (I'm an Air Force brat).

I never thought about it as much as I should have, but then Dad never talked about it either.

He's getting old now, and when I spoke to him recently he said "Let Korea no longer be known as the Forgotten War, but rather as the war in which we held the line." Oh Dad, how right you are!

That line, often ignored, has been held by 3 generations, yet who of us now does not owe a prayer of thanks to those who served there?

Now that crisis to the west reminds us that others were vigilant even though we forgot.

Today this great nation is truly grateful, but I reflect on previous Memorial Days when our "gratitude" was not always as heartfelt as it is today.

If I could have one wish, it is that we never again lapse into the careless thoughtlessness of only a few years ago.

God bless those who serve.

Thanks for a beautiful tribute to those who have fallen while serving their country. I have no words of my own to add, so I offer a few of my favorite quotations:

On why we fight wars:

People who love soft methods and hate iniquity forgot this, - that reform consists in taking a bone away from a dog. Philosophy will not do it.
- John Jay Chapman

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
-Edmund Burke

We fight wars that we may live in peace.
- Aristotle

On why we remember our fallen servicemen and women each Memorial Day:

"From these honored dead, (may) we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion."
-Abraham Lincoln, in perhaps my favorite line from the Gettysburg Address

Wish I could think of something intelligent to add - hard to type through the tears.

Amen, for my fallen brothers.

Hey guys, don't put much creedence into what, "Barney Gumble" says. If you are going to take the name of a fat, stupid, drunk, cartoon character in order to post lies, I think THAT says who "it's", (barney g), heros are!

What lies? I didn't have to go any farther than Dan Quale being on list A. Quale served the National Guard unit in Indianapolis. Does this 'LYING DEMONCRAT SCUM, think OUR National Guard People don't deserve a 'THANK YOU'?

OR, is little, drug induced stupor Barney, one of the lock-stepping, lemmings, who thinks that ANYONE in a group of ANYTHING, is either good or bad!

WAKE UP BARNEY, and come back to the REAL world!~

Sorry it's Quayle, I knew that.

Potato, Potatoe...

God Bless You.

Barney's list has at least one error- Rumsfeld (1954-57, US Navy). Did anyone notice any others?

Kwaayl:

You must be one of the Dimocrat's that every time Clinton's immorality is brought up, screams, (ala Allan Colmes), "---we just can't forget the Clinton's, can we?"! Yet, have no problem rehashing a spelling gaf, by a MORAL Vice-President! I bet you have NEVER made a mistake, have you Kwaayl? Have your parents? Is that the way they MEANT, to spell your name? HAHAHAHA!!!!

I bet you have NEVER made a mistake, have you Kwaayl? Have your parents?

Absolutely they did, Susan. "Kwaayl" exists, doesn't he? (snicker)

Kwaayl:

I just noticed that your e-mail is spelled, kwayl@indy.com.

You're making fun of Dan Quayle misspelling potato, yet you can't spell your own name?

MUH HA HA HA HA!!!!!

Just to set Barney Grumble straight; did you notice that list B were mostly members of Congress? This might leave one with the erroneous impression that there are more Dems with military service than Republicans.

In fact, in both the Senate and House, Republicans with military service outnumber Democrats by a 3-2 margin.

In the Senate:
22 R
16 D

In the House:
78 R
52 D

It would take far too much time to check on as mixed a group as List A (no doubt what Barney counted on), but let's at least get Congress right.

Excellent posts, people. Most who visited here and took time to comment, brought wit, heart and insight to the process.

That's part of what sharing is about. Thank you for sharing in a meaningful, powerful manner.

A small Eye Opener

Hasn't anybody ever heard of Ghandi?
Oppression vs volence... mmm
Maybe america should think twice before
sending its suicide squad (Im refering to the "trained to be fodder, all up for murder" marines.) into any given situation.
Remember they are trained to die.

Belive me, i am deeply sorry for your losses.

Peace and love.

Prisoner # 400,001

Prisoner # 400,001

I feel sorry for you.

"doc Russia" responds to an earlier comment by "barney gumble" with the following incisive argument: "Barney- you scumbag. Just like the asshloe you are, you have to go injecting politics into memorial day."

But given that this ENTIRE post is a lengthy attempt at a defense of Mr. Bush's extraordinarily controversial war against Iraq, and that "doc" praised it as a "great post," it seems to me that this criticism is, perhaps, just a **tad** disingenuous. The issue seems to be that "doc Russia" has no problem with injecting politics into Memorial Day; he just thinks that "barney" was injecting the **wrong** politics into Memorial Day.

I should point out that I don't think that either "Greyhawk" or "barney" is wrong to take Memorial Day as a political occasion. __What war is__ is the organized use of violent force by a State; it is people fighting and dying and killing other people for the ends of one government or another. If that is not a matter for vigorous political debate, then what **is**?

Actually, C Johnson, doc Russia was pointing up Barley Gambol's use of distorted facts, factoids, distortion, selected sampling and mis-representation to mislead and demean. THAT is what upset doc Russia, and is what Blarney missed.

Me? I call to your attention that this thread is NOT in support of Bush, or his excellent and timely use of America's armed forces, but rather a broader accolade and huzzah for those who fought on the side of righteousness and goodness, the American armed forces.

We didn't have to point out that American troops had NO policy of binding civilians' hands and blowing their faces off with a bullet in the back of their head... Nor was it necessary for anyone to recall that just such policies were in force, in effect, in the armies facing American troops from Korea to VietNam to Iraq...

We were simply sharing in the acknowledgment of America's general decency, and the reflection of that decency in America's troops then and now.

With regard to Prisoner #400,001's statement about Ghandi, his non-violence methods only worked because his opponent was from a civilized society: Great Britain. Clarity is needed here. If the Brits were like the Islamists or Arab terrorists, then they would have done to him what was done to Daniel Pearl and Nick Berg, among others. They would have done to him what Hitler did and tried to do to many opponents of his mayhem.

Non-violence can only work when the one you are protesting has a certain respect for human dignity and appeals to reason and rights. Iraqi insurgents, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda-type terrorists do not exhibit this respect and understanding. If each did, then we would not be where we are and Pearl and Berg would not have died as savagely as they did. That is what they are proving themselves to be: savages. And, as Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Prisoner # 400,001: Perhaps you would rather live in a society dominated by the evil submission of Islamist terrorists like al-Qaeda? If so, go do so. It is only a flight away. Otherwise, get your facts straight. Learn gratitude. And deal honestly with the issue at hand: what it will take to defeat an enemy steeped in evil hatred for the goodness and beauty of the Western and Judeo-Christian way of life. War is an ugly thing, to be sure, but to borrow from Mill, ignorant and cowardly expressions are only signs of the absence of order in one's moral life: where beauty should reign, one can only see vestiges of deformity and confusion of an Uglier One.

Greyhawk;

I was a red-diaper baby.

It took me until 1989 to completely deprogram myself.

I now see that the Vietnam War was a noble cause, and that the anti-war movement was bad and wrong, and a tool of the USSR.

By 1990, I was a hawk on Saddam - (his tyranny, and the menace of Jihadism) - and I have remained a neo-libertarian hawk.

I now KNOW that Reagan - whom I had hated (until the fall of the Berlin Wall led me to revisit his life-long efforts/speeches on behalf of the free world) - was a GREAT president.

The one still brightly shining light of my left-wing inculcation was my parent’s commitment to civil rights for all - to Universal Human Rights; this is a classically liberal tenet. And this commitment had NOTHING to do with quotas or affirmative action or other forms of "group-think” that have since horribly infected the cause - and delayed the cure.

At it's most basic level, civil rights was then about - AND IS STILL ABOUT - making sure everyone - EVERYWHERE - has their human rights; (as FDR so wisely asserted in his classically liberal “Four Freedoms” speech).

Which is why I am SO INCREDIBLY PUZZLED by the Left's (like Al Gore and the folks at Moveon.org) continued denigration of the War on Saddam, and the current state of affairs in Iraq: Iraqis now enjoy nearly all the liberties we do! There are HUNDREDS of newspapers, and freedom of religion, of speech, to assemble, to petition the government, to work at what one wants, to risk-take with one's own capital, etc., etc., and so forth.

YET: THE LEFT GIVES BUSH, AND OUR LIBERATION OF IRAQ FROM TRUE TYRANNY, NO CREDIT - EVEN THOUGH IRAQIS NOW - AND FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME - ENJOY THE VERY SAME RIGHTS THAT THE LEFT UNJUSTIFIABLY FEARS ASHCROFT IS TAKING AWAY FROM US!

If they were TRULY committed to securing Universal Human Rights fore everyone, then the Left would support the War and Bush.

I guess they do not.

I know explain this hypocrisy by arguing that the Left has not yet out-grown "group-think."

The Left is committed to: "collectivization/aggregationalism/communalism/socialism/class-actions"

and other forms of political action that requires that we see persons ONLY as parts of a group (preferably a group that can be seen as a victim of another group) - whether that group is their race, their gender, their sexual identity, their class, or whatever.

The Left sees "people" where the Right sees persons.

The Left sees a group, where the Right sees an individual.

The Left's commitment to "aggregate what is distinct" trumps everything else in their political ideology.

In view of the fact that all policies that have ever been based on the Left's "group-think" have all always failed to achieve their merely stated goals, the Left's continued commitment to "group-think" is truly bizarre.

This commitment to a "fantasy ideology" (to borrow Lee Harris's term) is also why Marxist economic policies have ALWAYS been an utter failure; Marxist regimes failed to deliver the goods because the entire Marxist ideology is disconnected from reality. The term "class" which is the term which is at the fulcrum of Marxist ideology is, in fact, merely an heuristic device - one that Marxists hubristically hypostatize; (hence the "fantasy".)

Meanwhile, Game Theory, for example, (which is based on the quite un-startling observation that individuals really do exist) has been a very good predictor of economic activity because Game Theory is predicated on the FACT that individuals - and ONLY individuals - are the sole agents of human intercourse, NOT classes. "Class" and "class consciousness" are NOT a determining facts, but merely one of a multitudinous myriad of possible potential abstract labels a person might put on himself at any given moment - and discard the next.

In addition, I believe the Left is unfortunately still "under the spell" of two "isms" of the 20th century:

post-modernism (which denies that objectivity and truth are even possible);

and moral and cultural relativism.

Commitment to these two "isms" have led the Left to sever their connection to Universal Human Rights, and it is why the Left truly believes that only the U.N. - as an "international/cross-cultural body" - has the moral and legal authority to intervene WITHIN any nation.

This is why the Left does NOT see the USA as politically superior to Rwanda or Libya or Syria or China, just as different. And this is why the Left believes that only actions that EVERYONE can agree on are cross-cultural - and therefore universal, or transcendent.

This would make FDR turn in his grave! And Eleanor - the principled author of the U.N.'s Declaration of Universal Human Rights - must be spinning, too!

International/cross-cultural marriage, birth, and adoption PROVES that all humans - all homo sapiens - are basically, essentially/genetically the same; therefore it is UNREASONABLE to accept that because of the accident of an individual's birth's geographical location that one girl - (and Afghani girl born under the Taliban, for example) - should be expected to live a life of degradation - without schooling, without medical attention, and without any freedom, BUT that had she been born here, in the good ol' USA, she'd have ALL her innate, UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS.

Because we are all homo sapiens, we must endeavor to free ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS EVERYWHERE FROM TRYANNY EVERYWHERE!

Maybe, looking at our commonality from two other vantage-points can drive the point home -

even to those still on the Left:

Imagine looking through an electron microscope at an individual's DNA:

any one persons could be mixed with that of any other person.

Imagine looking through a telescope - from the Moon - back toward the Earth:

surely all homo sapiens on this one solitary life-providing planet deserve the same rights

and opportunities.

Commitment to achieving Universal Human Rights is not merely good ol' classical liberalism, and not merely the oft repeated policy of liberal icons FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, and JFK - it is our duty as human beings sharing the one single sole solitary place in the entire Universe where we can live.

That's why, when I see the victims of tyranny - ANYWHERE, or read about the victims of the terror that tyranny requires, I say: "There but for the grace of G-d go I."

Would that WE ALL felt that, said that!

Which is why I implore all my old friends still on the Left to rejoin the struggle for Universal Human Rights - for individual rights for individuals everywhere - for freedom from tyranny and terror for every person - everywhere.

There is no more noble cause for us to dedicate ourselves or our treasure to.

There has never been, either.

Daniel Aronstein
NY, NY

Robert:

To call John McCain a Republican is an insult to our party. John McCain and Joe Lieberman, along with Bill Clinton, have supported warfare and military intervention more than most Republicans and conservatives have. All three of these misguided men supported the Iraq war, as part of the vision of liberal internationalism.

doc Russia,

Colin Powell and George Herbert Walker Bush are both men of honor. In 2002, both expressed opposition to the plan to effect regime change in Iraq (though Bush 41's was less direct). The prevailing foreign policy vision of the Bush 41 administration was that of "agressive multilateralism" and foreign policy realism. It is for that reason that many of those from the Bush 41 administration opposed the plan for this Iraq war, at that same time that many of the internationalists were pushing for it.

And finally, Barney,

You don't help your case by focusing on the Left. Liberals and Democrats in America have created so many problems for our country, and our citizenry, throughout the years, and it is because of their statist, interventionist, and left-wing policies that our people have so many of the problems that we are currently facing. You would make a much more compelling argument if you listed people such as:

- General Anthony Zinni (Centcom commander & Bush 43 administration point man for Middle East affairs)
- General Norman Schwarzkopf (Supreme Allied Commander for Allied forces in Operation Desert Storm)
- General Brent Scowcroft (National Security Advisor, Bush 41 & Ford administrations)
- General William Odom (NSA Director, Reagan administration)
- Colonel James Webb (renowned navy hero; Sec. of Navy, Reagan administration)
- Colonel David Hackworth (renowned war hero and soldiers' advocate, who has been decorated more times that anyone else alive)

Barney, you could have mentioned Gen. Joseph Hoar, Gen. Merrill A. McPeak, Gen. John J. Sheehan, Gen. Patrick Cordingley, or Col. Larry Williams. You could have mentioned former Bush administration members General Erik Shinseki and Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski.

You could have mentioned how the American Gulf War Veterans Association and the (British) Gulf Veterans and Families Association have taken a firm stance in favor of our soldiers, and in support of our brave and heroic veterans, and a firm stance against this Iraq war.

You could have mentioned U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (respected Vietnam War veteran), U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (who served as a doctor in the army), or another conservative congressman and war veteran, U.S. Rep. John Duncan, Jr.

And Barney, you could have thrown these guys off big time by mentioning the world-famous conservative military expert and bestselling author Tom Clancy, who is widely respected by our military, and by countless others throughout the world. You could have mentioned how this distiguished pro-America conservative nearly came to blows with the disgraced chickenhawk Richard Perle - an incident that exemplifies how the internationalists and war-makers really view our nation's finest men and women.

But Barney, you instead chose to list Democrats who served their country, including those such as Dick Gephardt and Bob Kerrey, who strongly supported the Iraq war. And on list A, you listed Jack Kemp, a Republican leader who opposed this war, and Bill O'Reilly, who supported it, but has since been expressing doubts.

I realize that you probably copied some of that list from the "Chickenhawk Database," but the purpose of your above list is meaningless. I could just as well list many members of our party who served honorably in the military, and many from the opposing party that did not.

What was the purpose then, of that list? If it was to make an implicit argument against war (or against this particular war), it has clearly failed. Many liberals supported this war, and liberals and Democrats actually support warfare and military intervention more than most conservatives and Republicans do - It is these policies of liberal internationalism and hyper-intervention that have been responsible for damaging our national defense and security abilities, and for insigating conflict overseas, and for creating many of the problems that we are experiencing today. The Democrats and liberals do not, as a whole, support our military, or our troops, and that is why many of the troops do not support them. The Republican Party is the one that has long been known for supporting our courageous current and former service members. Republican administrations have helped improve our defense and security interests, and have pursued policies to make our country stronger and more secure. Democratic administrations have, on the other hand, compromised our national security and defense, and have made our citizens less safe, and less free. And this is something that they continue to do today.

The American Soldier In Iraq

He is nineteen and he stands alone
Separated from his comrades in arms
Ten paces apart to spread out the group
For they have learned the hard lesson of bunching up
And now know not to make themselves an easy target

He is tall and lean, hard and strong
Has been a soldier for all of a year
The training came easy for he was motivated and prepared
But this was not what he had bargained for
For he dreamed of being a warrior at war not a cop at a security gate

He is well equipped with the latest devices
The best that money can buy
His Kevlar is strapped firmly to his chin, full body armor is worn
He has all the latest biological and poison gas protection
His weapon is of the newest design and he has night vision glasses

He is backed up by the warships of the World’s finest Navy
Overhead pass the newest fighters, bombers and choppers
With their lasers, rockets, and ‘smart’ bombs
Miles high and unseen, his country’s satellites spy down from space
The new armor vehicles which surround him have proven to be invincible

Yet with all of this new technology and equipment
It still comes down to him
A young American soldier
Making life and death decisions
Still too young to legally buy a beer

He is the low man on the totem pole
The one with the least experience, time in service and training
Sharing no word in the operations’ planning
He is the lowest paid
The man most with his life on the line

He carries out his country’s policy
Of policing and rebuilding a hostile nation
Caring nothing of the politics or debate
Believing his actions are right and sound
He simply obeys his orders

For he does not have a choice of the politics
Has no time or desire to debate the merits of the religious differences
His is just to complete the tasks at hand
With the one thing utmost in his mind
Everyone must come home

He has spent endless hours in the searing heat
Bundled under his equipment and gear
In temperatures which can soar to 124 degrees
When it drops to a warm eighty at night
He shivers with the cold

A soldier is always the first to go and the last to know
But eventually he hears what the home front is saying
And unlike those who would criticize his involvement
He has put his life on the line for his convictions
And lacks the comfort and safety of their distance to join in the debate

He knows that most of the World
Thinks of him as an unwelcome interloper
An invader, a pirate, the tool of a corrupt machine
A capitalistic warmonger killing for oil
The infidel assassins of a ‘peaceful’ nation

But this does not bother him
For he is an American soldier doing his duty
Fighting a terrorist movement, who given half the chance
Would remove his Country and countrymen from the face of the Earth
For they have already started to try

He is lost in a strange, foreign land and culture
Confused by the resistance to his aid
Mystified by the people he’s trying to help
Yet showing compassion, restraint and kindness
When he is allowed

He is pressured by the Brass
Who is in turn being pressured by Washington
To show the utmost restraint before defending his life
And he with his ‘Brothers’ do try
But it is not the politicians or the Brass who have their ass on the line

He is fighting an enemy who look and act like civilians
They fire from ambush behind civilian cover
Plant mines in the roads caring not, who all they might kill
They dress in women’s clothing to get close to him
Or drive a speeding, bomb laden car into his group

He knows about the Marine Barracks in Beirut
Has heard about the USS Cole
Watched the tragedy and murder of the Twin Towers
Was told about the two Brits killed in an ambush the day before
And saw first hand the aftermath of a car bomb at a company check point

He lives in a high pressure, stressed out, dangerous world
Where the enemy can be anywhere at anytime
Can look like any other civilian who passes by
Then turn to commit their suicide and his own death
And he lives with this everyday

He has read that there are people in the World
Even in his America
Who say that these self made martyrs are courageous
He wonders how these misguided, religiously motivated acts of cowardice
Could possibly be misconstrued as bravery

He has been in the service long enough to be a little ‘salty’
And like all good soldiers can complain with the best
But it is the right of a soldier to grumble
As long as he follows orders and does his job
And he knows that only politicians could have put him in a fix like this

He has been told that the war is over
But he knows America has lost more killed
Since the war ‘ended’ than during the war itself
And he knows that only a fool or a politician
Would say that he was not in the middle of a war

He has seen things no man should see
Maybe had to do a few of them too
Unknown to him, his life is now forever changed
His youth of a few months ago
Is nothing more than a distant fading memory

He believes that at the end of his tour of duty in Iraq
That he will easily slide back into civilian life
And all will be the same as before
It is a misconception of his youth
Mistakenly shared by all combat Veterans

He is constantly tired and hungry
No amounts of food or sleep are enough
No matter how hard he tries he cannot stay clean
And although surrounded by his mates
Has a deep, yearning ache for home

He misses his mother and father
Brothers and sisters, cousins and all
Even the neighbors next door
Family has never seemed so important
As the distance has made them grow even more dear

If he is married or has a ‘girl’
She is forever on his mind
Remembering times and places together
Veiled images of their intimacy
Fueling a growing love for her, exaggerating his desire

His boyhood home where once boredom ruled
Has become magical with his absence
Remembering small details of his previous daily life
With such clarity and longing
Nagging him like a dreadful ache, deep in the pit of his stomach

He wants again to tread on white wintry fields
And hear the crunch of the snow with each step
Feel the sting of icy winds on cheek
The bite of it on his nose
The soothing warmth when he reaches home

To inhale the fresh green smell of Spring
Walk in the warm sweet rain
Watch the robins hunt his lawn through his window pane
See his Mother’s flowers bloom
The trees and bushes bud to leaf

To witness the growing warmth as the sun rises higher in the sky
Hear the crack of bat on ball, enjoy the mad dash to first
Feel the burn deep in his dusty throat
As he downs an ice cold Coke
When the game is won

To watch the flocks of blackbirds flying south
Darkening an already dull gray sky
Enjoy the dance of swirling winds lifting the fallen colored leaves
Smell his Mother’s roasting turkey on Thanksgiving Day
Spending the day watching football with his Father and brothers

All of these things he had taken for granted
Now loom up as precious gifts
It is a sign of his maturity and growth
An indication of he is longing for home
A reminder of his present situation

Yet when he finally returns home
He will partake in few of these pleasures consciously
Not because they are no longer available
For the seasons will always remain
But sadly he is the one who will change

He is closer to his God than he has ever been before
Or will ever be again
He prays almost constantly
For his family, his comrades
And himself

Yet he keeps this faith mostly hidden
In his youthful, macho military surroundings
It is alright to be religious
But only to a certain point
Too much religion can be considered a weakness

For in this soldier society of life and death
God helps those who help themselves
Thus the Lord’s Prayer changes to:
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for I am the meanest son of bitch in the valley.”

He is tired of sand in his food and water
In his clothes and in his shoes
But he has no trouble sleeping at night
That will come later in life
Right now he is always exhausted at the end of the day

He is tired of the same old food
No matter if it’s the field rations or in the mess
And finds that he often dreams of home cooked meals
Cold cool drinks and clean sheets
Even more than he dreams of pretty girls

He swears that when his enlistment is finally up
He will never stand in a line again, sleep in the ‘great outdoors’
Nor will he ever again wear green or brown clothes
And promises himself that he will forever more have a private bath
To wash and to relieve himself

Occasionally he may get to phone loved ones
At the beginning of the short call
Both parties talk excitedly, rapidly
Almost shouting their words
Exchanging the “I miss you’s.” and “I love you’s.”

As the conversation quickly progresses
They talk of minor things at home
Maybe he will relate a funny story of something that happened
But he will never tell them how bad things really are
Or how miserable he is without them near

He is always “Doing okay.” and, “Feeling fine.”
“No Mom, I’m not in any danger.” He will lie.
And, “Yes I am getting enough to eat.”
“I should be home in January.”
He will remind them for the tenth time

“I can’t wait to see you all again.” He says
As the conversation winds down
Their voices have quieted now
Speaking almost in soft sweet whispers
As they know the call’s end is near

On both ends of the line
Eyes begin to tear
With the sadness of the distance
And of hearing the voice without a chance to touch
Adding weight to their collective hearts

“You take care of yourself son.” Says Dad
“Yes you too.” Replies the son
Then the soldier sadly states he has to go
The words catching in his throat
At both ends the voices fail on the word “Good-bye.”

The phone calls are always welcomed
But like generations of soldiers before him
Mail is still most important to him
For a letter is something to hold
A small piece of home to read over and over again

Simple words on plain white paper
Telling tales of everyday things
He will read them till every word is memorized
Then read them over again
It is an all important physical connection to his other life

He has made a dozen good friends
But two men stand out from the rest
They spend all their off time together
Talking of home, cars and girls
Making plans for when they get back to the States

Off duty among his friends and comrades
Tricks are pulled on one another
The jokes they tell are crude, usually degrading
And almost always pornographic
Boys will be boys

They have established their own language
Terms for different foods, duties, equipment and other odds and ends
But mainly this code is addressed towards the country’s people
It is always unfavorable, even crude and vulgar
A self defense to de-humanize those they have to deal with

He may even feel somewhat uncomfortable
Repeating some terms or names
But he will never let on to the others
And the language will stick, become familiar with use
Outsiders would be offended, but then they walk in different shoes

On any given day he may feel a wide range of emotions
Shifting from utter boredom to frenzied activity
Feeling at times frightened, lonely, depressed, exhausted, anxious
Sad, angry, happy, exhilarated, excited, panic, remorse, invincible
And never really knowing exactly why

He feels better when he is kept busy
Although thoughts of home start to intrude the longer he is away
Yet he stays highly motivated, focused on his duty
For he feels he is doing something important
And learns he has a better chance of survival if he pays attention

Once again from home bound sources
He learns that the American people
Are shifting focus away from the ‘war’
The newspapers move the stories to the back pages
War correspondents become less visible

What once was a front page headline
Now hardly gets any print
When once the names of every KIA was somberly posted
Now hardly a mention of the dead
Numbers of the total figures replacing individual names

America’s attention span has moved on to something new
Only the protests and articles of distraction against the ‘war’ effort
Make the nightly news
America moves forever onward
While America’s sons and daughters are stuck in Iraq

He will continue to do his duty with vigor
For he will not forsake his brothers in arms
He will not let them down
For he now serves for his fellows
As much as he serves for his Country

He knows of the American fighting man’s traditions that he must uphold
To honor the memory of all those who came before
And to the names of Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Belleau Wood, Normandy, Iwo Jima,
Inchon, Pork Chop Hill, Hue, Hamburger Hill and Desert Storm, among so many others
Will be added Nasiriya and Baghdad

Older and forever changed
He will come home when his time there is done
Sadly too many of his contemporaries
Will never make that trip
For the true cost of war is so high

It is the memory of these men and women he served with
Which he will cherish the most
This Brotherhood of his Corps
A bond that is unbreakable
That the untested do not get to know

And in his waning years
Growing old and weak with age
He will be forced to sit by and watch
As other young men and women march off to war
New patriots to follow in his path

For he knows as long as there are politicians
Young men will be called on to fight and die
His blood will boil at their misuse
And even knowing of their hardships and trials
His heart will yearn to be young again so he could join their ranks

He will listen for years to come
The should haves and would nots of Iraq
But deep in his heart he will know, that he was right to go
For no matter what was really the political agenda
He and his kind planted the seeds of democracy and freedom in an oppressed land

And whether or not those seeds bore fruit
Was not to be determined by the soldiers
But by the Iraqi people themselves
The soldiers were just the instruments of freedom
They did their job and did it well

Iraqi freedom was there for the taking
Paid for by the blood of American and British Patriots
He will know that America may not always be right
But as long as She continues to have men and women such as these
She will always be around to try

Dedicated to the Armed Forces of the Allied Coalition.

Michael Tank
USMC
Scout/Snipers
Vietnam Veteran
1969-1972

09/15/03

"Copyright 2003. Michael E. Tank . All rights reserved. No part of this document may be copied, faxed, electronically transmitted, or in any other manner duplicated without express written permission of the author.