Support for Our Troops on the Fourth of July
It’s Fourth of July, the 229th Fourth of July. It’s a day to remember the birth of our nation and the sacrifices made then and now for our country. This country did not just happen, nor does it continue to exist, bereft of pain. Someone is sweating, hurting, bleeding, dieing for my family and me. And, for you too. There has always been and always will be someone making our mortgage payment while we dine on the sweet fruits of freedom.
I don’t care if you agree or disagree about whether or not we should be doing what we are doing. Right or wrong we are in a war, a war that far exceeds Iraq. This is not merely a war in some far off Muslim country. It is a deadly culture clash between Islamo-fascism and our way of life, be it here, Europe or elsewhere. And, it started long before 9/11/01.
If you don’t accept the obvious, okay we can debate the issue. But, what is not up for debate is the support for our troops. They must remain overseas to finish the job that they undertook on our behalf. And finishing the job is not a premature withdrawal and slinking home with our tails between our legs. We did that once and dishonored those who believed in and sacrificed for our way of life. The black marble wall in Washington D.C. honoring the fallen in Vietnam is not compensation for the dishonorable behavior of the 1960’s dissidents.
The message from today’s naysayers is strikingly similar to that which we heard previously. Yesterday’s youthful idealism and energy was manipulated by elitist educators and provocateurs of and for the Communist Party. Some simply exercised their First Amendment rights; some used the Vietnam War as an excuse to try and destroy the U. S. from within; and still others committed treason. All shamefully defiled the price paid by the best of my generation.
Today, for most of us, there is a sense of pride for our military personnel. Anheuser-Busch captured that pride with its 2005 Super Bowl video Tribute to the Troops. Go here to view the tribute video (be patient while it loads).
This grandfather can not watch the tribute without tears. I saw what was done to the Vietnam troops, but now there are Americans of all types smiling and applauding our military. There is a young girl, about two and a half years old, the age of my granddaughter. The child is the only one not smiling because she does not understand. She does not know that her wonderful life is being paid for with the blood of others. That little girl is my granddaughter, or she could be yours. It is my duty to invest in her future, and I will do so with the ferocity of all my being. I will not stand aside unheard while some seek to tear down the morale and undermine the support for those same troops who guarantee my granddaughter’s freedoms. I will not stand aside unheard should the “bring the troops home” message devolve into the national disgrace of the 1960’s. I am embarrassed by what occurred to the troops of my youth. I will speak out in support of today’s troops in every manner that I can. They must succeed at all costs.
Most Americans are doing the right sort of things to show that we support the efforts of our military troops. An e-mail from Michael Yon, a freelance author on the ground with the troops in Iraq, reports that the morale is high. Read Michael here. We need to keep our support of the troops very visible and vocal. We must not allow our politicians to be swayed by the braying minority who, because of timidity, would bequeath this country to its enemies. While this country is certainly divided on many foundational issues, we must never leave unanswered the skewed facts of the left leaning main stream media and its new internet consorts. We must not allow them to give unchallenged comfort to this country’s elitist detractors.
I don’t care if you agree or disagree about whether or not we should be doing what we are doing. Right or wrong we are in a war, a war that far exceeds Iraq. This is not merely a war in some far off Muslim country. It is a deadly culture clash between Islamo-fascism and our way of life, be it here, Europe or elsewhere. And, it started long before 9/11/01.
If you don’t accept the obvious, okay we can debate the issue. But, what is not up for debate is the support for our troops. They must remain overseas to finish the job that they undertook on our behalf. And finishing the job is not a premature withdrawal and slinking home with our tails between our legs. We did that once and dishonored those who believed in and sacrificed for our way of life. The black marble wall in Washington D.C. honoring the fallen in Vietnam is not compensation for the dishonorable behavior of the 1960’s dissidents.
The message from today’s naysayers is strikingly similar to that which we heard previously. Yesterday’s youthful idealism and energy was manipulated by elitist educators and provocateurs of and for the Communist Party. Some simply exercised their First Amendment rights; some used the Vietnam War as an excuse to try and destroy the U. S. from within; and still others committed treason. All shamefully defiled the price paid by the best of my generation.
Today, for most of us, there is a sense of pride for our military personnel. Anheuser-Busch captured that pride with its 2005 Super Bowl video Tribute to the Troops. Go here to view the tribute video (be patient while it loads).
This grandfather can not watch the tribute without tears. I saw what was done to the Vietnam troops, but now there are Americans of all types smiling and applauding our military. There is a young girl, about two and a half years old, the age of my granddaughter. The child is the only one not smiling because she does not understand. She does not know that her wonderful life is being paid for with the blood of others. That little girl is my granddaughter, or she could be yours. It is my duty to invest in her future, and I will do so with the ferocity of all my being. I will not stand aside unheard while some seek to tear down the morale and undermine the support for those same troops who guarantee my granddaughter’s freedoms. I will not stand aside unheard should the “bring the troops home” message devolve into the national disgrace of the 1960’s. I am embarrassed by what occurred to the troops of my youth. I will speak out in support of today’s troops in every manner that I can. They must succeed at all costs.
Most Americans are doing the right sort of things to show that we support the efforts of our military troops. An e-mail from Michael Yon, a freelance author on the ground with the troops in Iraq, reports that the morale is high. Read Michael here. We need to keep our support of the troops very visible and vocal. We must not allow our politicians to be swayed by the braying minority who, because of timidity, would bequeath this country to its enemies. While this country is certainly divided on many foundational issues, we must never leave unanswered the skewed facts of the left leaning main stream media and its new internet consorts. We must not allow them to give unchallenged comfort to this country’s elitist detractors.
posted by Paul Coambs | 12:04 AM
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