I saw an article on a NY Times Select blog that may add to this discussion. You have to pay for a Select membership to get to the article, so I stole it for you guys. However, if you don't have a Times Select membership you should get one. There's tons of great material in there.
In the article, I bolded a few items that I thought stood out. I don't think this young man's piece really supports any particular position taken thus far in our thread. He seems to be exemplifying things that host is saying and things that BOR is saying. I do disagree with him when he says "Some of the comments I’ve read so far depress me a lot. It amazes me that many of the people who “support the troops” over here fighting for “freedom,” are often the ones willing to roll over and let their freedoms at home be taken away." My personal experience has shown that it is more often the opposite.
Be that as it may, I think there is one tidbit here that might speak to host's earlier thread about supporting the troops - and it is a powerful justification that is part of what keeps the good people joining the service in these difficult times. While our service members are in some respects "blunt instruments" who do not agree with or get to comment on the policies they are enforcing, many of them are good idealistic people trying to do a good thing. And whether our national intentions and motives in Iraq and Afghanistan are worthy or honorable, it is better to have good, decent people there on the ground than it would be to have the dregs of our society. While there are bad apples, far more of our service members signed on to "make a difference" than to shoot 'em up.
Mission in Afghanistan blog on NY Times Select
Quote:
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Originally Posted by NY Times
Response to Readers: Don’t Judge Me
By Anthony McCloskey
I am sitting here in Afghanistan, nearly 1700 miles from my home in Philadelphia. I am cold, tired, lonely, and a little depressed. My motivation is waning. The end of my tour here is rapidly approaching, and I am eager to get home. It is that eagerness that helps keep me sharp. There are still missions to be completed, and complacency is not an option. My Command Sergeant Major likes to say “complacency is the bedfellow of defeat,” and he is right. Over here, complacency gets people dead.
It is sometimes difficult to remain vigilant when your motivation is on a downward slide. The only things I have to keep me going are thoughts of getting home, and photos of those I love. I sometimes can not help but think as I am planning missions, or even as I set out on a mission, “I only have a few months left. Wouldn’t it suck to be killed in the last quarter of the game?” I try to keep those thoughts from getting to me too much. I often have trouble sleeping.
It also doesn’t help to know that some people back at home are disparaging, not only of the war effort, but also of us. Some of the comments I’ve read so far depress me a lot. It amazes me that many of the people who “support the troops” over here fighting for “freedom,” are often the ones willing to roll over and let their freedoms at home be taken away. And those who are able to recognize the hypocrisy in the system often seem to take it out on the troops. A few of the commenters would have you believe that the service members who are over here fighting and dying should feel ashamed. I’d like to respond to that.
I am not ashamed. Not of my service. I am sometimes ashamed of decisions my government makes, and I am sometimes ashamed of things that Americans do or don’t do, but I have never been, and will never be ashamed of serving my country. I do what I do because I believe in service to the greater good. The American military does not make policy, we enforce it. If a citizen of the United States does not like what we are doing, then it is the responsibility of that citizen to ensure that policy changes are made. Please don’t blame us. We are over here because we love our country and what it stands for.
Some people back home may feel that we are not truly helping the Afghan people. Well I assure you that we are. I can not speak to the intentions of my country’s political powers towards Afghanistan, but I can say with certainty that our intent on the ground is good. Everyday I and my fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines help people. We provide schools, clinics and health care, We provide good jobs and education initiatives.. We are doing good things for the Afghan people.
Just the other day I was speaking with an Afghan man who told me how thankful he was that we are here. He told me, “Perhaps someday Afghanistan will have Thanksgiving.” He was thankful for all the things that we are enabling them to have by providing security and stability, so they can build a new nation. Who in the past has actually helped Afghanistan? The British? The Soviets? The Taliban?
Every day I get to see injured or ill children receive medical treatment they otherwise would not have received. Every day I get to see people learning new job skills. I get to see women who are allowed to dress as they please. I have seen efforts specifically designed to educate women so they can educate their children. How better to create a brighter future for Afghanistan than by teaching its women?
These are all things that make me feel good. There are plenty of other things that make me feel bad. Sometimes I wonder if the impact we are having will last. But mostly these days, I wonder if Afghanistan is going to have a lasting impact on me. And I wonder when it will be my turn to go home.
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