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It's hard to know what is right sometimes.
Increasingly in today's world, polarization and caustic invective only serve to further widen the gaps between schools of thought and experience.
That being said, one must stand firmly upon the convictions one keeps within. And if this causes rifts, then that is the collateral damage one must accept.
I have some interesting tidbits I culled from watching a video of an interview of Ret. Four Star General Stanley McChrystal by former CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer. (Link to video is in comment section.)
Towards the last half of the video, McChrystal mentions that less than 1 percent of the United States population has either a family member in the Armed Forces or knows a person in the military. He also states that only one-third of the population is eligible for service anyway, due to physical, education and legal issues. Our entire military is only able to draw its membership from 1/3 of our Nation's citizens!
Both McChrystal and Schieffer agreed that today, in stark contrast to WWI and WWII, many folks are not personally invested in our military or in our country's affairs. They say this lack of understanding and cohesion as a Nation with each other, and with its military has a terrible effect on both civilians and service members both. If one has no vested interest in something, they tend not to care about it.
What is my take on this topic and why am I writing this?
The reason why I'm writing this is due to several things. One is an abiding and growing fascination with the affairs/workings of both our military and our government, as well as our leaders. I have also had a longstanding belief in supporting our troops and vets. Thirdly, I tend to have very little use for the liberal, left-wing politicos and media, and I'm finding it hard not to speak up and voice my opinion on things I see and read about.
Some Americans are finding it necessary to disparage their military which finds itself in the midst of a very long, very unpopular war. I've been watching YouTube videos of military folks, and reading the comments posted on these videos, as well as reading the comments on other sites, and in general it is this:
Many people, both foreign and domestic, erroneously believe that cursing our servicemen and women is an appropriate response to an issue they feel powerless to resolve, namely the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. How is it the soldier's fault, that they are ordered to go to a place by an elected official (the President) to fight against those that would love to destroy our country?
That somehow, even though these men and women volunteer to serve on our behalf, sacrificing their time with their families and loved ones, often to the point of giving their very lives...are somehow worthy of scorn and derision? Just because a growing segment of the population disagrees with the President, or the former President, and their policies?
I think that those who feel justified in deriding our military do not deserve to be protected by our troops. Perhaps their utter selfishness and demonstrated lack of common human decency toward their neighbor, ought to earn them a taste of life without protection and privilege and comfort.
Let them go live in Iraq or some Middle Eastern country, where the rapists are allowed to marry their victims(against the victim's will), or to burn their wives faces on stoves, or any number of hideous behaviors.
People counter with the argument that the U.S. is involved simply because of oil interests, and/or the foreign policy of Bush/Cheney.
Well, that may very well be true, at least in part. But I'm also willing to bet that 99.99 percent of those comments come from folks who've never had first-hand knowledge of the situation, and therefore love to criticize those charged with the responsibility of overseeing it.
Take Ret. Army Four-Star General Stanley McChrystal for example. He is someone with a vast understanding and working knowledge of, an incredibly complex situation, made worse by the local/international legal and political repercussions that await should he make a misstep.
Someone said it better than I, in a comment posted on an article regarding McChrystal's new job as a Yale professor: (comment in italics)
"All the vitriolic comments against General McChrystal are so typical of those who lash out at anyone who has had the audacity to devote their entire adult life in service to their country. How easy it is to write in your snide remarks from the comfort of your room, having never experienced any real hardship or danger in your life. Having never worked with other people of character under extreme hardship and personal risk for prolonged periods of time, you cannot possibly fathom the challenges that leaders like Gen. McChrystal have had to face on a daily basis. It's so easy to write offensive remarks when your actions have no consequences. From young sergeants in their late teens and early twenties all the way up to senior leaders, our service members have to make life and death decisions in a moment's notice, without having the benefit of having time to ponder over how one's actions may play out at that moment, for that day, or for the rest of their lives. They know what it's like to have the responsibility for the care and leadership of other human beings. They know the unbearable pain that comes when one of their soldiers is wounded or worse, if they are killed. It's easy to write your remarks when you've never picked up pieces of another human being and you never will have to.
It's so easy to complain about why we are in Iraq and Afghanistan when there is no chance that you will ever have to travel to either country or actually do something yourself to help them out. Undoubtedly you must not think that they deserve to have a free society where women can be educated or hope to live independent lives. They aren't important enough for our country to spend any of its wealth on. The 200,000 Afghan citizens that were treated by our troop medical clinics didn't deserve it. They don't deserve to be free of the Taliban's dictatorship. The Iraqi citizens didn't deserve to be free of Saddam Hussein and the mass killings of Kurds. You have all the answers, because you've done so much to help those in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention in any of the 38 other countries where we also have troops, like Kenya, Rwanda, or Benin. You won't actually ever travel to any of those countries and put yourself in physical or emotional danger. You'll never have to tell someone that their loved one has died or lost a limb - that same person who volunteered to serve their country and perform those difficult jobs so that others won't have to, or because such a high percentage of the population isn't even physically qualified to serve because they are so obese from inactivity and their easy lifestyle.
Instead, you'll continue going about your life putting down people like the General who spend their lives helping others without asking anything in return, even though it means that they'll be separated from their families for long periods of time and will miss so many family events and milestones. You're so much better than they are. Keep telling yourself that."
From: www.yaledailynews.com/news/201…
Increasingly in today's world, polarization and caustic invective only serve to further widen the gaps between schools of thought and experience.
That being said, one must stand firmly upon the convictions one keeps within. And if this causes rifts, then that is the collateral damage one must accept.
I have some interesting tidbits I culled from watching a video of an interview of Ret. Four Star General Stanley McChrystal by former CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer. (Link to video is in comment section.)
Towards the last half of the video, McChrystal mentions that less than 1 percent of the United States population has either a family member in the Armed Forces or knows a person in the military. He also states that only one-third of the population is eligible for service anyway, due to physical, education and legal issues. Our entire military is only able to draw its membership from 1/3 of our Nation's citizens!
Both McChrystal and Schieffer agreed that today, in stark contrast to WWI and WWII, many folks are not personally invested in our military or in our country's affairs. They say this lack of understanding and cohesion as a Nation with each other, and with its military has a terrible effect on both civilians and service members both. If one has no vested interest in something, they tend not to care about it.
What is my take on this topic and why am I writing this?
The reason why I'm writing this is due to several things. One is an abiding and growing fascination with the affairs/workings of both our military and our government, as well as our leaders. I have also had a longstanding belief in supporting our troops and vets. Thirdly, I tend to have very little use for the liberal, left-wing politicos and media, and I'm finding it hard not to speak up and voice my opinion on things I see and read about.
Some Americans are finding it necessary to disparage their military which finds itself in the midst of a very long, very unpopular war. I've been watching YouTube videos of military folks, and reading the comments posted on these videos, as well as reading the comments on other sites, and in general it is this:
Many people, both foreign and domestic, erroneously believe that cursing our servicemen and women is an appropriate response to an issue they feel powerless to resolve, namely the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. How is it the soldier's fault, that they are ordered to go to a place by an elected official (the President) to fight against those that would love to destroy our country?
That somehow, even though these men and women volunteer to serve on our behalf, sacrificing their time with their families and loved ones, often to the point of giving their very lives...are somehow worthy of scorn and derision? Just because a growing segment of the population disagrees with the President, or the former President, and their policies?
I think that those who feel justified in deriding our military do not deserve to be protected by our troops. Perhaps their utter selfishness and demonstrated lack of common human decency toward their neighbor, ought to earn them a taste of life without protection and privilege and comfort.
Let them go live in Iraq or some Middle Eastern country, where the rapists are allowed to marry their victims(against the victim's will), or to burn their wives faces on stoves, or any number of hideous behaviors.
People counter with the argument that the U.S. is involved simply because of oil interests, and/or the foreign policy of Bush/Cheney.
Well, that may very well be true, at least in part. But I'm also willing to bet that 99.99 percent of those comments come from folks who've never had first-hand knowledge of the situation, and therefore love to criticize those charged with the responsibility of overseeing it.
Take Ret. Army Four-Star General Stanley McChrystal for example. He is someone with a vast understanding and working knowledge of, an incredibly complex situation, made worse by the local/international legal and political repercussions that await should he make a misstep.
Someone said it better than I, in a comment posted on an article regarding McChrystal's new job as a Yale professor: (comment in italics)
"All the vitriolic comments against General McChrystal are so typical of those who lash out at anyone who has had the audacity to devote their entire adult life in service to their country. How easy it is to write in your snide remarks from the comfort of your room, having never experienced any real hardship or danger in your life. Having never worked with other people of character under extreme hardship and personal risk for prolonged periods of time, you cannot possibly fathom the challenges that leaders like Gen. McChrystal have had to face on a daily basis. It's so easy to write offensive remarks when your actions have no consequences. From young sergeants in their late teens and early twenties all the way up to senior leaders, our service members have to make life and death decisions in a moment's notice, without having the benefit of having time to ponder over how one's actions may play out at that moment, for that day, or for the rest of their lives. They know what it's like to have the responsibility for the care and leadership of other human beings. They know the unbearable pain that comes when one of their soldiers is wounded or worse, if they are killed. It's easy to write your remarks when you've never picked up pieces of another human being and you never will have to.
It's so easy to complain about why we are in Iraq and Afghanistan when there is no chance that you will ever have to travel to either country or actually do something yourself to help them out. Undoubtedly you must not think that they deserve to have a free society where women can be educated or hope to live independent lives. They aren't important enough for our country to spend any of its wealth on. The 200,000 Afghan citizens that were treated by our troop medical clinics didn't deserve it. They don't deserve to be free of the Taliban's dictatorship. The Iraqi citizens didn't deserve to be free of Saddam Hussein and the mass killings of Kurds. You have all the answers, because you've done so much to help those in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention in any of the 38 other countries where we also have troops, like Kenya, Rwanda, or Benin. You won't actually ever travel to any of those countries and put yourself in physical or emotional danger. You'll never have to tell someone that their loved one has died or lost a limb - that same person who volunteered to serve their country and perform those difficult jobs so that others won't have to, or because such a high percentage of the population isn't even physically qualified to serve because they are so obese from inactivity and their easy lifestyle.
Instead, you'll continue going about your life putting down people like the General who spend their lives helping others without asking anything in return, even though it means that they'll be separated from their families for long periods of time and will miss so many family events and milestones. You're so much better than they are. Keep telling yourself that."
From: www.yaledailynews.com/news/201…
Commentary on some of the attitudes I am currently observing in the U.S. and abroad regarding our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I definitely will continue to edit and refine my thoughts. Please read my reply in the comments below as it gives more insight into my position on this topic.
All Rights Reserved. 2012.
Please leave a comment to let me know what you think!
Video of McChrystal and Schieffer: [link]
Article on McChrystal Yale Professorship: [link]
DA Journal on Military Family Reunions: [link]
© 2012 - 2024 Blacksand459
Comments3
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I think it's interesting to actually see a topic like this being written about simply because of the sensitivity about it, and it's true that these days people find it easy to criticize and think that being abrasive and insulting counts as constructive crit. Like it was mentioned in the comment you cited, they do find it horribly easy to criticize from the comfort of their own living room and they believe they do have that right to do so without knowing everything. Thet's the trouble I think these days, people are just too open with their opinions and leap to the easiest vein of action which is: being obnoxious rather than having respect.
I know the whole issue of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is a huge one, and the longer they stay there the more people begin to get discontented. Personally I think it's unfair to keep them there. I know fighting for the rights of others is a huge thing, but it's not fair that they should have to die for people who don't appreciate their actions. I know that there are a lot of people who suffering both those countries (I live just under Iraq lol and throughout my entire life seeing American soldiers around has been the norm) but I think there comes a point where you have to look out for your own people's welfare above that of others, they're dying out there and it doesn't seem to be getting any better (in fact I can tell you that it will only get worse) Living in the Middle East I can see more and more Islamists coming to power (and it's quite frightening), putting religion aside, even with all the revolutions and such, things are not going to get any better (in fact the revolutions in places like Iraq and Syria and Egypt have only opened the door for those extremists to take control, and those people aren't happy with the soldiers being there, which in turn will only mean they have to fight more, which again is unfair!)
Having said that though, who knows what would happen if they withdrew. So before people start abusing the military or the decisions made, they should probably think a little more about it, the situation isn't that easy to resolve. It's easy for the average person to go around and complain about it, but those sorts of choices aren't easy to make, if any one of them were put in the position to have to choose, I'm sure they'd have a lot more respect for the people who did have to.
Wow sorry for the ramble lol
I know the whole issue of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is a huge one, and the longer they stay there the more people begin to get discontented. Personally I think it's unfair to keep them there. I know fighting for the rights of others is a huge thing, but it's not fair that they should have to die for people who don't appreciate their actions. I know that there are a lot of people who suffering both those countries (I live just under Iraq lol and throughout my entire life seeing American soldiers around has been the norm) but I think there comes a point where you have to look out for your own people's welfare above that of others, they're dying out there and it doesn't seem to be getting any better (in fact I can tell you that it will only get worse) Living in the Middle East I can see more and more Islamists coming to power (and it's quite frightening), putting religion aside, even with all the revolutions and such, things are not going to get any better (in fact the revolutions in places like Iraq and Syria and Egypt have only opened the door for those extremists to take control, and those people aren't happy with the soldiers being there, which in turn will only mean they have to fight more, which again is unfair!)
Having said that though, who knows what would happen if they withdrew. So before people start abusing the military or the decisions made, they should probably think a little more about it, the situation isn't that easy to resolve. It's easy for the average person to go around and complain about it, but those sorts of choices aren't easy to make, if any one of them were put in the position to have to choose, I'm sure they'd have a lot more respect for the people who did have to.
Wow sorry for the ramble lol