Barak,
I would like to respond to your post of 4/1/03 at 10:15p.m. In it you stated,
"I've never been in the standing military, only in the militia. Can somebody who has been in the standing military explain to me what the big deal is about supporting the troops? I mean, they're professionals with a job to do, right? I don't mean to offend anybody, but if they are professionals, should our support really matter to them?"
First of all I believe that we have a lot in common, you and I. That might include the belief that with all its shortcomings, this country is about as good as it gets on this planet as far as individual liberties and standard of living go. Then there is a presumed mutual love of the outdoors (I derived this from your description of your location). Oh, and then there's the interest in firearms or at least politics as it applies to their possession by an individual. I'm new here so bear with me. You seem patriotic, if not supportive. You have the nuts to post your picture and your e-mail address along with your opinions. I can respect that. A lot of people like to take pot shots at others under a pseudonym and that takes so little courage. If I say anything that may tend to offend you, it's not personal. I wouldn't know you from Adam. We're both firearms enthusiasts, presumably with no criminal convictions, we pay our taxes and we're Americans. Any perceived animosity you may infer from my insinuation is simply that: perceived.
I served 20 years in the regular US Army and then retired as a Staff Sergeant. I remained an Infantry Soldier for the entire time, although I was at times assigned to non-Infantry-related duties, (Recruiter, Range NCOIC, G3 Plans NCOIC). Mostly though, my assignments were to Infantry battalions where I served in various leadership positions including Platoon Sergeant. I would still be there if they had let me stay. Unfortunately when you reach 20 years and you are not an SFC or better, you're done.
In reading your comments I can ascertain that you are indeed an intelligent person. So when I tell you that you can't pay a soldier enough to live the lifestyle we did, I expect you not to try to counter that by saying that soldiers don't have any problem with cashing their paychecks or benefiting from any other niceties they are afforded. Rather, I would expect that you could appreciate the sense of patriotic duty driving our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. I believe I detect a note of cynicism in your question pertaining to the value of the moral support of the nation as it benefits the "Professional Soldiers". These troops indeed discharge their duties in a most professional manner. This does not make them professionals, however. Most of them do not make the military a career.
The lifestyle is HARSH. I don't want to go into a lot of detail because I wouldn't want anyone to get the mistaken impression that I am for one instant complaining. For your benefit though, I will attempt to quickly elucidate some of the features of military life that would likely cause a person with your attitude to quit. Abject subordination to authority is part of the military culture. Family separation borders on the surreal. Sleep deprivation is the norm. Food palatability is poor. Responsibility and accountability are WELL BEYOND that required of civilian counterparts. Physical fitness is a fact of life: we do physical training even while deployed to field training. Pay is low. I don't care how much we save by dint of the vaunted military benefits. Servicemembers and their families enjoy a razor-thin margin of error when managing the family budget. When these folks qualify for food stamps, I believe it is a black eye for our nation. Wow.
Overtime pay, holiday pay, etc. is non-existent. Compensatory time is the standard. When I think back on all the days "off" the US Army still owes me per their very own policies, I can only laugh. I have long since let them off the hook for that. I served with a sense of dignity and with a sense of pride befitting a soldier of this great nation. Going the extra mile without direct, tangible benefit was simply part of the culture.
From your picture, you don't appear to have missed too many meals. Don't take this as an insult because I don't mean it that way. But I will tell you that as a soldier I have gone hungry more times than you would be willing to believe in order to effectively discharge my duties out of a sense of commitment, of pride and of professionalism. In fact, we conduct leadership courses that are guaranteed to take about 40 to 50 pounds off of a youngster in who is in good shape to begin with.
The chance that you will sustain injuries during training is good. We manage risks with assessment programs, safety policies, standard operating procedures, organic medical support, etc. and yet we still kill each other through accident, mechanical failure and numerous other methods. Ever see someone burn-in from 1250 feet in the air because his parachutes failed? Yeah, I know that's why Data Programmers are smarter than Soldiers are. Anyway we regroup and drive on. Sometimes we are even called upon to fight wars.
Now, this brings us to your questions. What is the big deal about supporting the troops? If they are professionals should our support really matter to them? These are no ordinary people. They willingly bear nearly any burden in the effort to keep what we as a nation hold most dearly from becoming a distant memory. That would be among other things, our individual liberties, our beloved family members, and our lifestyle as Americans. The troops are at a minimum deserving of our gratitude. Even one so callous as you to their contribution should be able to understand that without their daily sacrifice, America's business conglomeration would be unable to carry out its day-to-day operations.
Trade dwindles in unstable locales. Your hometown could become one of them were it not for our military forces. Naturally, that would only be the first symptom. A robust capability for national security is the bedrock foundation upon which business, such as yours, is built. You see right now Barak, no one has the combat power to wage war with us in a manner that would result in the supremacy of the instigator. Sure, there will always be terrorism just like there will always be crime. It could be a lot worse though if there were no one to strike at the center of gravity of terror organizations like we do. I can't do it by myself. You can't. The police can't. That leaves the military forces.
The big deal about supporting them lies in the fact that these people are our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors. All of them have families and none of them want to die. Each of them pines for their loved ones back home and none are guaranteed to return. I have known this feeling often over the years, yet it did not stop me from doing what I knew to be right. Often our troops die in aircraft crashes, they drown or maybe they were just sleeping on the ground when an armored vehicle from their own unit was accidentally backed over several of them, ending their precious lives. How nice it must have been sitting back here in the rear with the beer, writing computer programs under the umbrella of protection afforded you by the most lethal military force ever to range the face of this Earth.
I can't let you get away without telling you this story. In 1989 I reported to my unit in Korea. Along with me was a young NCO whose first name was Robert. Both of us were slated as squad leaders. We became friends. I was married and had a daughter, almost two years old. Robert was married and had two children a little older. Over the next year we suffered through some truly challenging weather conditions, leadership situations, conducting live ambush patrols in the DMZ, etc. One day during the Operation Desert Shield buildup I received orders to report to Fort Ord, CA. Since Robert arrived the same day I did, I kind of felt bad for him when he had to go back to the field while I processed out of the unit and headed home on leave. I was walking down a street at Fort Ord one day several months later and happened upon a soldier I recognized from my unit in Korea. As he brought me up to speed on what happened after I left the unit, I learned of Robert's death. His squad was participating in a company level deliberate attack on a live fire range supported by Abrams tanks and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. It being nighttime and the objective being covered in smoke, Robert understandably became a little disoriented. His squad emerged from some covering terrain at the wrong location. Robert took a 7.62mm slug from a tank-mounted coaxial machine gun in the back of the head. It blew his face off and he died a tragic, needless and unglamorous death right there. His team leader, who lived, took one in the back. It came out through his chest and fortunately only collapsed a lung.
Sadly, that is part of the cost of freedom. Yeah, I'm glad it wasn't me. I feel for his young family. I know they loved him. I saw their pictures in his barracks room. He was a real nice guy. He wasn't fighting in a war. He was just serving; just maintaining the protective barrier around you. You asked, If they are professionals should our support really matter to them? Yes, it mattered to Robert and it mattered to me, too. I can't believe he and I were too much different from any other soldier, commissioned, non-commissioned or otherwise. We don't bear these burdens for an ungrateful nation. In our hearts we know our fellow countrymen appreciate our efforts and our sacrifices. Who are our fellow countrymen? Why, they're our families, friends and neighbors. Maybe you don't personally know a servicemember but that's no reason to discount their contributions to life as you know it.
Support a Data Programmer? Sure, no problem. But I think you have a bit to learn about selfless service, gratitude and loyalty to your nation just the same. Oh, and as far as the military coming after you, they'll do as duly elected officials tell them. Boy am I glad Al Gore isn't President.
Paul
