Monday, April 11, 2011

Who do we have fighting for us?

You have all gotten that email that tells you the average soldier is 19 years old and etc… Which I wrote back to those who forward it to me, that the average soldier now is 33 and is often a woman as well as a man.. That our troops have changed over the years. I think mainly this has to do with pulling so many from the Reserves and the National Guard. Which I still can’t get over, as I was growing up, it was my understanding that the National Guard were the ones who took care of things here within the USA. And regular troops and Reserves were the ones who went overseas. So who do we have in our troops? We don’t have the draft anymore, so we have young men and women who sign up to join the service. Being these young men and women sign up, volunteer to join, we should be even more grateful that they do. Yet our government treats them like second hand citizens. First to cut the budget, sends what is the lowest bidder for the equipment they use. (I know there is a lot of waste as well for equipment that never makes it over there, but that is another discussion). Then you take the generation we have over there. This generation has been taught, not to hit people, not to hit women, not to be a bully in the school yard. They don’t learn the pecking order as one teacher mention which I hated. But they still join, go in to learn how to fight. How to shoot. We for all sense and purpose, train them to be fighting and killing machines. We thought after Vietnam we were going to be a tech fighting troops. Meaning very little on ground hand to hand battles. Yet we have become more on the ground than in the air. After all we are afraid we might hit someone else besides the offending troops. Which brings us to the troops on the other side. Who were raised to kill, they kill their own, other tribes and etc. Who do not use uniforms as in previous wars. So how do you know if the person approaching you is foe or friend. How do you win a war that is over 5000 years old. So after being raised with the no bully, do not hit society, turn into a killing machine, and then expect them to return home to their families as if they could turn it off with a switch. While they do have some help, it isn’t enough. Too many are coming home that end up killing themselves and their families as well. We need to do more. There are stories of how some families lose their homes, some that slip thru the tracks, that come home with so much body injuries, say nothing of the mental.. that the Army deserts them. It takes lawyers and such to get what they need and the family needs. Letters to the congress person does little. They deserve better. When they do complain which is rare, as they are trained not to make waves.. they are told.. well, you signed up for this. All the more reason they deserve the respect. They did sign up to help, to protect our Country. All I can say is … finally we citizens are standing up and telling them thank you, shaking their hands… and some even go further to raise money, goods to send to the troops, and help the ones who are home. Too bad our government doesn’t treat our troops as well as we do our Congresspersons. With the same benefits. We really need to bring our troops back. We are fighting/policing a war that is not wanted by anyone, including the country men of the country we are in. War has changed… countries have changed some what. We need to act only with the United Nations, and not feel like we are the caretakers of the earth. Defend our own home land, and help out the United Nations. And for those who will say that United Nations is weak, I agree..but it needs to be changed, to be stronger. Charity starts at home, we should not be depleting our own finances to finance a war that no one wants us there. Thank you troops, families… mothers and fathers, wives and children. You are all in my prayers.

1 comment:

patty said...

bravo and well said!!!