Posted by
rider237 on Friday, October 27, 2006 7:33:45 PM
it is not ok for those who wear the uniform of our military to align themselves with subversive political groups, and speak out against a war in which we are actively engaged. it was not ok for john kerry to do it. it is not ok for our current enlisted and officers to do it. it is not ok for retired officers to do it unless they have resigned their commissions.
to say that you support the troops but not the action, is a lie. the soldiers know it's a lie. these kids don't need much from us. they need to know that the government backs them, the people back them, and more importantly they need to know that the officers and soldiers they fight with back them.
imagine a young soldier being asked to risk his life in war. as he's leaving, he hears a senior officer talking about how stupid the war is. he hears what a waste of time, money, and lives it is. what does that do to the young soldiers moral? imagine that a young soldier finds himself training next to someone who's just given a speech or written an editorial about how he doesn't want to go to iraq, or might refuse if he's called to go. what happens in your head when someone who is supposed to have your back, calls what you are doing a worthless, and illegal?
in 1996 i left the military.
when i put my papers in, i was counseled by my division chief, the xo, and finally the co, to stay in. after all, in my 15 years the military had invested a great deal of time and money in my training. i was one of those fortunate people who always seemed to land in the right place at the right time. i had years of experience playing in the sand. i was a CBRN expert. i had had tons of anti-terrorist training.
why did i leave? because i could not support my commander in chief, or any pentagon idiots he'd put in place. i knew in my heart that everything we were doing was wrong. i knew were it would lead. i spent the next few years writing and speaking out about the destruction of our military, and foolish "defensive" posture that we insisted on keeping. when 9/11 happened i was devastated, but not surprised. like many, i knew it was coming. i was only surprised that it was not worse, and that it had taken so long.
it is ok to have an opinion. it is right to speak out. there is a proper place for it. active duty/reserve military is not that place. when you put on the uniform you have the duty to go where you are told, and do what you are told, with your mouth shut. there is no draft. if the idea of keeping your mouth shut is not appealing to you, don't join. if you are in, and can not keep your mouth shut, get out. then you can talk all you want.