Today I received an e-mail from MG, a relative who seems to enjoy sending chain letters, collections of pictures of kids & animals ( anything cute),& a good dollop of wing-nuttery. During the 2008 election, she very dutifully sent out all the rumors about Obama. Several times I sent her to fightthesmears.com to set her straight. Today she sent me an e-mail she entitled Please Read All of It. Below is what she sent me.
Your cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe
his brow.
You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your
order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.
Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes..
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are
clean.
You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if
they'll ever meet.
You criticize your government, and say that war never solves
anything..
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and
remembers why he is fighting.
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.
You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and
eat.
You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all
night long..
So of course I sent her back this in reply:
> > Your cell phone is in your pocket.
> > He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
Muslim Troops Highlight Nation's Diversity
http://www.defenselink.mil/...
Pat Tillman - Celebrity Atheist List
http://www.celebatheists.com/...
Atheist Community Loses A Soldier
http://blogs.myspace.com/...
> > You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you.
> > He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
Army suicides rise as time spent in combat increases
http://www.usatoday.com/...
> > You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
> > He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
Alan Greenspan claims Iraq war was really for oil
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/...
> > You complain about how hot it is.
> > He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe
> > his brow.
Flak Jackets are slim comfort for troops in Iraq
http://www.bodyarmornews.com/...
> > You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your
> > order wrong.
> > He doesn't get to eat today.
Blackwater Mercs Make More than Petraeus
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/...
> > Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes..
> > He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are
> > clean.
KBR sued over soldier's electrocution
http://www.upi.com/...
> > You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
> > He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
KBR, Halliburton sued over war-zone's toxic burn pits
http://www.southernstudies.org/...
> > You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
> > He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
US soldier refuses to serve in 'illegal Iraq war'
http://www.breitbart.com/...
Another Soldier Refuses Afghanistan Deployment
http://dahrjamailiraq.com/...
Soldier Challenges Deployment, Citing Obama's Birth
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
Soldier mom refuses deployment to care for baby
http://www.chron.com/...
> > You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
> > He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
Female soldiers cite sexual assaults
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
> > You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
> > He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
4 ex-KBR workers sue over Iraq rape and sex harassment
http://www.liveleak.com/...
> > You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
> > He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if
> > they'll ever meet.
Doctors report "unprecedented" rise in deformities, cancers in Iraq
http://seattlepostglobe.org/...
> > You criticize your government, and say that war never solves
> > anything..
> > He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and
> > remembers why he is fighting.
The Abu Ghraib Prison Photos
http://www.antiwar.com/...
> > You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
> > He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
The Spitting on Vietnam Vets Myth
http://alterdestiny.blogspot.com/...
> > You see only what the media wants you to see.
> > He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
Senate Backs Ban on Photos Of G.I. Coffins
http://www.nytimes.com/...
> > You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
> > He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.
Officer at Fort Lewis calls Iraq war illegal, refuses order to go
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/...
> > You stay at home and watch TV.
> > He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and
> > eat.
Protests against the Iraq War
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
> > You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
> > He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all
> > night long..
Freeway Blogger
http://www.freewayblogger.com/
Well, that was my response to the e-mail. Though now that I think of it, I wonder who was the originator of this? I googled the first lines of it, & got this: our troops pdf. Kinda slick, huh?
But what also interests me is matters of POV in the piece. The hero of course is this God fearing soldier who is sacrificing himself for his country & family. But who is the other? A decadent, spoiled self absorbed student, male, but who still goes to the mall to get his hair done ( a metrosexual?) Whenever he talks about the war, it is to sneer at the godly for fighting it. Gee, this sounds like a Freepers perfect stereotype of anti-war activists. This little poem to
Christian soldiers sounds like an attempt to get the meme of 'soldiers were betrayed by the left' firmly in place before war's end.