This is a piece born of frustration. I’m liberal, let me tell you, I’m DAMN liberal. I also became a fully trained combat soldier for the United States Army in 1981.
It’s a long time ago, that first day where I was awarded that respect and assigned a unit. I’m sure my life and career path doesn’t mirror that of a liberal teacher or academic or anyone else, unless they also served (many did!) and I will admit I am not anyone else.
I’m only me.
I took an oath.
I know, it’s been said here and there and everywhere- and people look at the folks, liberals, who are saying that now and they say “Thank you for your service!” with that funny little smile that says they are damned aware they never said that shit before G. Bush politicized it and gave everyone a feeling of shame because- troops? We have troops?
I get it, and really, don’t want to hear that anymore, I didn’t serve for thanks. I served for two reasons. The most important was because it was the right thing to do. Yes, I also got a paycheck and I received a career to follow. Some guys and other gals went into the medical mos’s, others to finance or logistics. Some said it was not their thing at all and stayed home and I have always respected that. But for me, it was the thing I had to do, serve my country.
I became an artilleryman. I asked for it, it had been my father’s mos and there was no way I was going to do anything that was not a combat arms position. I made my choice, it shaped me.
War- it’s the most insane, absolutely crazy thing that humans do to one another, but it happens. It happens and if there isn’t somebody on the other side trying to stop the aggressor, then it isn’t a war or a battle it’s a massacre and or genocide. Or a rounding up of the newly subjugated.
This is the world we live in.
We had an enemy during my time in service and it was the Soviets, the Russians by any other name- and from what I can see in my own limited way, that enemy did not change.
We trained, mercilessly, in ways a civilian just cannot understand, to be ready. We went through alerts- called up at 0230 in the morning, told to get your Ass IN now!
“Is it a war?” asked sleepily only to be answered with- “How the hell should I know, get your ass in here with all the people you are supposed to pick up!” Click. That guy had a lot more people to call. One teeny, tiny thing we did until you could roll out that gate in under an hour because there was a Soviet Rocket Brigade that had your post’s grid- they knew it by heart.
You take on a different way of looking at things, a different mindset when it comes to being prepared. I don’t look at the sky when I go out, I pack what the weather might call for seasonally, because, what you have with you can help you, what you didn’t take with you won’t, can’t. You will regret not being prepared!
At seventeen, when I joined, it was made CLEAR to me that I may die for my country. Napalm, a bullet, irradiated or a low tech punji stick smeared with feces through the sole of my boot- germ or chemical warfare, all these waited to kill you and you had to do two things-make your peace with that and learn how to be prepared for it so you DIDN’T die.
All enemies, foreign or domestic.
I know the words “Civil War” are being bandied about- these are, indeed, troubled times and I have to tell you, I wonder if it will come to that. I hope not, I decidedly hope not! But if anyone opens that discussion, here among liberals, we are met by gasps- OOOOH, you said VIOLENT- words! We are met with open disbelief and as though we are frickin’ crazy and war mongers or something.
What do you expect of us? Our schools didn’t award MBA’S or bachelors degrees. This is what we are.
It was fine for us to be violent for you when we were in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, South America or Croatia. But now it is a horrendous faux pas for those of us, part of the populous, to consider that we may have to use our hard earned abilities to save this nation from an internal enemy.
Nothing would make my heart hurt more unless it were to bury one of my kids. I see people edging away from us, because we do as our nature and our damn training taught us, more, formed us- we plan for all contingencies.
We don’t shrink from it and say we won’t talk about it because it makes us feel ill or uncomfortable. It’s been our meat, our bread and butter, for too long.
This is not an apology, it is not not anything except, perhaps an appeal- we aren’t the bad ones. We won’t be starting ANY wars. But we aren’t going to let them do unto us either.
I will personally never, ever bow my neck to a tyrant, foreign OR domestic. I’m a throwback American, maybe, but that is how it is. If they try to do it, I will oppose them. I see, among many, many other liberal leaning veterans the very same sentiment.
We are OF you, we are a part of you- but we are different and you are just going to have to find room in your big liberal tent for those of us that our people made into soldiers. The tree of liberty must be refreshed by the blood of patriots to flourish. We all know those words- why does it make you so disgusted that some of us take that very, very seriously? It shouldn’t. Yet it seems to.
We take it as our duty, if it falls to us, to give that blood.
Here’s to discussion and round tables, to comity and cooperation, because the alternative is too ugly to want.
But nothing should ever be too ugly to prepare for.
Peace.
And I do mean that.