In this “politically correct” society we live in there are many opinions on any topic you can bring up. Democrats hate the Republicans, one religious group hates another, one ball team’s fans has a high disdain for the opposing team’s fans and so on and so on.
There are no deep philosophical messages in this post, like there ever is for that matter. No arguments against or for anything will be found here. But just a statement I was recently compelled to make to myself upon seeing a photograph online.
During my lifetime, as many of you, I have lived through a number of wars, skirmishes, police actions, etc. that my country has been involved in. I have personal boyhood friends that fought in Vietnam and other conflicts. I lost some schoolmates to that dastardly war.
Just last year while standing at a replica of the famed Viet Nam wall that toured through Jackson I was struck with such an intense feeling of guilt as I looked up the names of my fallen friends on that ominous monument. A guilt that ran through me from head to toe for a few days. A guilt that expressed itself in contemplation as to why these friends were not allowed to grow older, have careers, families, children and lives like I have.
I never came up with an answer to the question but walked away changed somewhat by the experience. Though I have never taken lightly the sacrifice countless numbers of American soldiers have made for my freedom, after this experience I certainly could not be anything but deeply humbled by the way things have turned out.
A similar experience took place today upon finding a photograph online at a news site. It says it all to me. It shows a young girl holding on to her daddy’s hand moments before he was deployed to Iraq over a year ago. The story went on to say her dad is still in Iraq for about another year.
You can say what you will about why we are in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world defending freedom, etc.. But, four-year-olds were never intended to have to understand the sacrifice that war brings to families and countries.
Support the war, or wars, or not, agree with anyone else’s political standing or not….we all can agree on one thing. I hate war.
Daddy leaves for war
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | ahghanistan, families, iraq, sacrifice, war
That story was a heart breaker, I have three girls and can only imagine how that soldier felt, luckily I wasnt married when I had to go to Vietnam, I have mellowed out over the past few years and become more tender hearted. I did what I felt I had to do at the time, but I hate War. I hope we are not getting into another Vietnam, but I am afraid we are. I dont think we can change those people if we stayed 100 years and sent 1,000,000 troops. I dont have the answer, but sacrificing our young men is wrong. The old sixties song that was ban on Armed Forces radio in Vietnam is still true today- War, what is it good for , absolutely nothing, aint nothing but a heart breaker, friend only to the undertaker. Pray for our troops and especially their familys.