On MSNBC.com, there's a newly posted piece about the effect of overly long Iraq deployments on military families.
"Their stories put a human face on stark statistics showing that the U.S. military -- a small force by historical standards -- is stretched thin after more than four years in Iraq and six in Afghanistan. Repeated deployments of active military members and reservists and diminishing 'dwell times' between postings to the war zone have taxed soldiers and taken a growing toll on the home front," writes MSNBC's Kari Huus from the military town of Midland, N.C.
"Families are truly exhausted," Huus quotes Patricia Barron, who runs youth programs for the National Military Families Association. "They are starting to feel the stresses of separation more acutely."
I'm not without sympathy for these families. During World War II, my then-future Mom and her love-my then-future Dad- were separated for more than three years. I've read the letters and seen the photos. And there was no Internet for quick "I--love-yous." Just ships that had to sail slowly and very, very carefully.
But World War II was a necessary war. Debateably, Afghanistan was, too. But Iraq? No.
The painful truth, it must be told, is that if all manner of polls and surveys are to be believed, it is many if not most of these military families that voted the Iraq-invading Bush Administration into office. I've seen stats well into the 70s, and even into the 80s on that on Bush voters in the military.
Not only in 2000, but in 2004- when the war was already 18 months in- and a guy was running that had actually served in combat.
Well, why the Bush tilt in the military- at least in the last two elections?
In this era of the volunteer Army, there's surely a pre-selection for folks who believe in hierarchical command structures. When your country calls, you go. And in these same military families that spawn the brave men and women who by genetics and upbringing fall into this culture of obedience, you can bet that others with different programming- such as "Hanoi Jane" Fonda and Bill "Draft Dodger" Clinton were routinely derided by the fathers of those who are now on their fifth deployment in a land that didn't attack us on 9/11.
Maybe these sad and lonely separations should be a teachable moment for military families. To question your leaders is patriotic.
A valid point, but an equally valid counter point is that an all volunteer force is a bad idea and that we need a draft, wheather peace time or war time, to ensure a cross section of the country serves.
I think that another huge part of military families' support of Bubble Boy and his war is a profound need or desire to believe that your loved one's life has been endangered on behalf of a noble cause. It's horrible enough when a loved one is seriously injured or killed in pursuit of a righteous cause. But knowing that your loved one died in a war based on lies would add immeasurable anger, distrust and resentment to the grieving.
Quite understandably, military families desperately look for reassurance from their leaders that the cause remains just, in spite of copious, objective evidence that it is not. It's a mechanism designed to preserve their emotional well-being. That they have been placed in this position is among the multitude of reasons to despise The Commander Guy.
Get it from Netflix, if you can.
My daughter-in-law simply could not understand that Vietnam had taught some of us, who lived through Vietnam, that one could hate the war, but support the troops. Stupidly, many of our military conscripts, who had absolutely no choice about their service, were vilified.
Now, we vilify the administration and its' irrational, corrupt supporters, and not the troops. She has just begun to realize that one can love the troops and support the troops, and that is what we are doing in trying to get them out of there, and be against the war.
I have to admit, however, that my son and daughter-in-law were both smart enough to vote for Kerry, and not Bush.
These folks are inept at their jobs as well as demonstrated 9/11 at the Pentagon.
These folks are like ostrich
heads in the sand as they allow Blackwater USA to subvert the honor and integrity of our Military.
These folks are duplicitous as so many double-dip working for Blackwater USA. They should have their pensions revoked.
They married and left Germany for the US in order for him to avoid yet another conscription.
After fifteen or so years of marriage, he left wife and daughters in the US, and took the sons and moved to Canada. At that point he wrote letters back to Germany saying how much he missed the military, and that his years in the army were the best of his life.
Depressing to contemplate how many military families must go through similar processes of forgetting the bad and retrospective falsification into something good.... probably one of the things that keeps war cultures going within families.
Always question everything, it's the sign of a healthy country.
Our military knows that military actions are always checkered, so they hope that the forces they unleash will somehow work for the best. They know their leaders are often fools, but they follow them because even fools can manage to be right about some things.
I think that a lot of people still defend Bush because they can not imagine that the decisions his Democratic opposition would make would be any better. The Republican public relations machine argues successively that the Bush position is the only position possible. Democratic leadership is judged weaker than Republicn, so they accept the bitter alternative.
vote was pretty small. Maybe they have enuf
troubles already, and we should not pick on
them too much. Agreed?