Support the Troops

I can't imagine this post will make me popular, but it's something that's been floating around my head, and I want to get it out before I say something inappropriate at an inappropriate time.

I'm sick and tired of 'Thanking Our Troops'.  Or blessing them, or worshiping them.... anything really beyond 'Supporting Our Troops'.  But then again I do that through paying taxes and voting in politicians who say they are going to support them (or voting out those who don't support them).

I have a lot of respect for anybody that joins our military service.  It's a vital service for our country, and it's a job that I don't believe I could personally do.  But that same sentiment is true for teachers (I'd go stark raving mad trying to teach a room full of young children).  The same is true for policemen.  The same is true for garbage men.  The same can be said for any number of jobs.

I have a lot of family history in the military.  My grandfather trained pilots and flew bombers during World War II.  My father served in a submarine during the Vietnam conflict.  Two cousins fought in the first Iraq war.  Several other cousins, uncles, aunts, and various relations served in the military.  I love them all, and respect them for making that choice.


But except for my grandfather, none of them fought/served/died/was injured defending my freedoms.  World War II was a fight against an enemy (several enemies) that wanted to or did attack us.  I believe that war was a war where our freedom was on the line.  But the Korean 'War'?  That was a push back against communism.  So was Vietnam.  Neither of those 'enemies' were after us.  Iraq was defending an ally against an aggressor.  Saddam Hussein and Iraq, the aggressor in that particular conflict, was an ally of ours too at one point.  And he wasn't after us.

The Afghanistan war was.... well, it was/is complicated.  Yes, Al Queda was after us, but we expanded that conflict into more than just going after them.  Taking out the taliban and defending the country against the taliban coming back isn't exactly defending out freedom.

Before I go on, I'm going to jump in here again and say that I respect anybody that serves in our military.  It's a hard job for bad pay and deserves respect.

It just doesn't deserve adoration, and I think that's what these platitudes are now a days... adoration.

I mentioned my family before.  Yes, my mother's father served in World War II.  My father's father was a train engineer during the same time.  I respect him and his job too.  My father served on a submarine.  My mother worked at a sea food store and later worked as an after school aide.  I respect what she did.

I heard a news story recently about ISIS taking over Ramadi in Iraq.  During this news story it was said nonchalantly how this was a disservice to our brave service men and women who had fought hard to free Ramadi earlier in the decade.  And how naturally because of these service men and women that we now needed to put more troops in their to ensure that Ramadi became free again.

What?

I can kind of get why 'we' would be angry that ISIS took over a large city in Iraq.  But to put more service men and women into danger just to re-take a city that they once took before is over the moon crazy.  Is it sad that Iraq can't contain it's borders, defend it's citizens, or hold back an enemy?  Yes.  Does that have anything to do with our service men and women who took over that city a decade earlier?  Fuck no it doesn't.

Individual members of the military deserve respect for their service, but not everything our military touches is golden, nor does it deserve respect.  Our military goes and does what the President and/or Congress tells them to do.  And the President and/or Congress can be batshit crazy.  Sending in more military to re take a city because a bitshit crazy president sent our military into a bad war is batshit crazy squared.  It's doubling down on a bad bet.  And it has absolutely nothing to do with honoring out service men and women.

But because of the adoration we are heaping upon 'the troops', we're all made to feel as though any action taken in their name is just and good and needs to be done post haste.  Except for providing veteran benefits.  Or NOT sending them into a senseless war.  Or providing them mental health counseling.

If merely serving in the military is defending our freedom, then are all people that serve any military like purpose in a time of war/conflict also defending out freedom?  Are the contractors we hire to repair our military vehicles defending our freedom?  Are the contractors we hire to provide/prepare food for our troops defending our freedom?  Are the CIA operatives quietly assassinating individuals or using drones to kill thousands defending our freedom?  If they are, why aren't they getting the same adoration that we heap upon our troops?

I'll say it again... I respect those who serve/served in the military.

I think some of this is from my parents generation.  The time that my father served in the military was a bad time to be a serviceman.  Being a serviceman was tied too directly to the political motivations of the government.  Being any part of a 'bad' war was reason enough to be hassled, spit on, or yelled at.  That was wrong.

But I think we've gone too far in compensation.  Support our troops?  Yes.  Saying that anyone that ever served in our military did so to defend our freedoms is just as wrong as spitting on the troops who served in Vietnam.  Giving ALL the troops that same level of respect takes away the respect we give to those who really fought for our freedoms.

Rant over.