I knew a guy back in high school named Bill. Bill planned to enter the military after graduation. To Bill, a military career was a great opportunity. He would earn decent pay and benefits, there was no risk of layoffs (so he thought), and he would be able to retire before he was 50 and start a new career. He would have his military retirement pay to help him.
I did not want to join the military. It was 1980. Vietnam was still a big part of the American psyche, as were fears the U.S. was going to get involved in the various Central American conflicts that were raging at that time.
To me, there was a deal made between guys like Bill that wanted to serve, and guys like me that did not want to serve. People like Bill that wanted to serve enabled people like me to not serve. Bill understood that he was risking his life by joining the military and believed the benefits outweighed the risks.
Since Bill’s enlistment military personnel have dealt with desperately low pay, poor housing, inadequate healthcare, force reductions (lay-offs in civilian lingo) and an array of too many problems to list here. These issues were not part of the deal people like Bill signed on for.
We need to do better for our military personnel. We all made that deal, even if you don’t support them.
I want to draw your attention to an excellent column by Bob Woodward in the Huffington Post. Woodward writes that we as a nation have to do a better job of taking care of the men and women that defend this nation. I want to add to his thought that Congress will never give our troops priority unless We The People demand it from Congress. Your Representative and Senators want to buy their re-election. They’ll keep funneling money into pork and earmarks unless we set other priorities.
This Memorial Day I pledge to support the troops by demanding Congress do what is necessary so that We The People really do “Support Our Troops.”
I also want to draw your attention to the reader’s comments at the end of Woodard’s column. If you are not concerned for the future of the United States of America right now you will be after you read these examples of true American self-loathing and incredible naïveté. These people have no idea and therefore no appreciation of why our Constitution says what it says. That should be a painful thought this Memorial Day.
