Moral Monday: I Salute You!

So I have been thinking about this awhile and have not been sure how to talk about this subject without possibly growing some animosity somewhere. The military comes off as being a sensitive topic to some. We have the"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" thing going on right now. Vets talk about how they were done wrongfully after Vietnam. We have current war going on because of people high up wanting more money it seems. Instead of focusing on the aftermath and intro to wars and money and drama of that nature, lets talk about the people's experiences that served this country with their lives.

I have always wondered, as a civilian, how much information soldiers get when sent over to certain places. I know they are given info on their mission, their objectives (there HAS to be objectives), underestimation of how long they will be on tour with this (yep, underestimation), maybe a victory cigar? Alright, this is just to start things off. But seriously, my biggest thought when thinking about military actions taking place and troops being sent over to a country they may not know much about is simply, were they really told why they are being sent to a dangerous area to risk their lives?

President George W. Bush sent troops overseas to fight the war on terror...to fight the war on terror. I want to know what they were actually told. "Alright maggots, we will be heading over to the Middle East to fight back in this war on terror! Terror has stricken our country with more terror after more terror and I want to keep expressing that there is a war on TERROR so you know there is a war on terror!"...you guys think I am trying to make a joke but I really want to know what they were told to think that they were serving a reasonable purpose for putting their lives in dangers. Now, the war on terror seems to be most notably known as the war on oil. Innocent parent's babies being sent over to fight a war because people wanted more power (money). Who wudda thunk it?!

Now, we have real disasters in the world occurring, New Orleans, Haiti, Africa (People forget about this continent overall), and now Japan. It is good to see troops sent over to assist in these issues because this deals with the lives of people surviving. I don't recall the last time I had a bowl of Oil Krunch for breakfast. To top that, Libya isn't exactly in the best condition right now and I can see, from what they are telling us, why troops would begin being sent over to that deathtrap.

I simply bring this up to hopefully spark some one's attention into understanding the position soldiers put themselves into and how many individuals don't really think about how valuable they are to have stepped to the challenge of serving their country no matter how fraudulent they see the government. From talking to friends who are in military services, the common thing I have noticed from speaking with soldiers is that they serve their country for the people that fill the country, not for the government it stands for. I thought that was pretty interesting.

Moral: The next time you see someone suited up in army/navy/marine gear, bow your head because they deserve your utmost respect no matter what they look like or have actually done to contribute to you being alive and living well.