Wow, I just found this thread. Some parts made me chuckle others teary.
Thank YOU!!! To all that ARE Serving, HAVE Served, have LOST a loved one that has served, Are serving from home while Family, Friends, and Loved ones are serving or healing.
Preface; I am not the type of person aksavanaman is asking to reply. I am a Navy Brat. Both my Parents served for 30 years, and retired as Master Chiefs. My Uncle 28 Years LT Cmndr, Grandfather 30 Years Master Chief, Aunt E-9 Airforce, Grandfater 12 years Army, etc...... If I could have, I would have "Served" (DQ'ed Medical).
Being around all branches of the military, and moving every 2 to 4 years, you get to meet/know a lot of them. Yea, there are some A Holes but usually they are few and far between. I have found, like is implied in this thread, that our service members are a family unto itself. Look at the people just from this forum that have served, and how they interact with each other. LES hit this on the head, quoted below, they are all in the same boat (No pun intended).
Regardless of your politics, your party, your individual beliefs, be certain that the soldier on the front lines fights for none of that. They fight for the men and women next to them and for our rights as American citizens. Our politics may devide us, but the soldier on the front lines gives us the opportunity to decide which stance to take.
Respect IS earned.
Every time I see a Service Member in uniform, I make it a point to thank them. I dont think they hear it enough.
Now, from my conversations with General Public (GP) they are ignorant to what it takes to defend "their" freedoms. I dont mean ignorant as a derogitory term, they just dont know, and its not their fault. But when protesters, and leftist, make some of their statements, it really, really bugs me. "You dont have to agree with
"insert comment, war, guns, etc", but at least support our troops." Most of them dont want to be there doing it. They are doing it because, like aksavanaman, and others here, they took an oath. And from my perspective there are more serving than just the Uniformed Service Men & Women, their familys and friends serve right along side them (if we are lucky, I was, we dont see the bad stuff of someone not coming home).
I think the government needs to stop sugar coating things, hold the media accountable, and tell it like it is. A lot of things are "spun" to make the GP okay with the story or issue. But when they send people to do a job, let them do the job the way they were trained to do it (Read "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Lutrell, and you will see what I mean here).
I am going to get off my soap box now. Seems like I am starting to ramble.
Frank