I don’t write much about the military, because it’s not something I know much about. I prefer to stick to policy. I rely on Dawnsinger and Father Jake to bring some of their experiences and knowledge to the table.
I’ve recently run across two more blogs that deal much more directly with military affairs. One is Groundhog Day, although his coverage is more irregular. The other is Blackfive, who is dedicated to covering military concerns – and the Cubs. Blackfive is an admitted conservative, but he has recently welcomed lefties.
I do believe it is possible criticize government policy while supporting members of the military. These are men and women who do the work that is necessary to the functioning and protection of the Republic during peace time. They are in Iraq doing a job, a job I think they are have been ill-prepared for, but a job they are doing to the best of their ability. We here the stories of Abu Ghuraib, and I think they reflect the lack of preparation and support our soldiers are getting. As I’ve said before, we can’t disown them, they are us, they reflect who and what we are. But it also means there is a lot of good happening that gets lost. Blackfive mentions the good, and makes sure we know what the military doing; he’s not giving us empty rhetoric, he’s giving us the reality, not only from the news, but from the people in Iraq. I do believe we have to focus on the negative, to stop it from happening and for preserving our ideals as Americans, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of the positive.
but how long can people who go into the military be excused because of the decisions of some old politicians back home?
it’s not as if this is the first time the u.s. military’s been sent on an immoral mission.
after hiroshima, nagasaki, dresden, all the napalmed villages in vietnam, all the countless invasions of third-world countries, all the land mines buried in fields and and all the depleted uraniam that will be deforming babies for years to come, and every other horror that has come to light (and who knows what hasn’t yet come to light), what does the average person think he’s signing up for when he goes into the military?
defending freedom? come on.
yes, many of them go into it because they’re poor and are trying to better their lives, but they still have a choice. they make that choice. are we supposed to “support” them because of that?
feel pity, maybe. but support?
I see where you coming from, and I share some of the frustration. I look at members of the military in terms of the long history, not the immediate history. Resistance to the Vietnam War came from the Armed Services after several years of combat. I think what you have to keep in mind is that the military is in the moment, we are looking at it from a distance. Look at some of the stories that Blackfive is reporting; there are some good individual stories, just as there some bad individuals. The more pressure we can put on policy makers, the less pressure the troops will be under. The other thing to realize is that there are soldiers, officers and non-coms who are speaking out against the war, it’s just that coverage is limited.