Posted on 11/07/2001 9:24:17 AM PST by Starmaker
Occasionally, a gem of wisdom appears unbidden in my e-mail, striking for its simplicity and depth. This week, such a gem came to me, and I´d like to share it. Though the message from a friend identified the author of the following words as a current Georgia State Representative, I have seen these words previously attributed to another. Suffice it to say that they are not mine, though their sentiment I share completely: It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag…who serves under the flag…and whose coffin is draped by the flag…who allows the protester to burn the flag.
The reporters, TV anchors and media pundits who hold forth on ‘collateral damage,´ building opposition to U.S. anti-terrorist actions, do so in safety and comfort, while sailors, soldiers, Marines and airmen are in harm´s way, or about to be.They who spew words indiscriminately with little regard for people or principle arrogantly flap about errant rounds that come in the heat of battle or at Mach two, when lives are at risk.
The oh-so-sensitive writers who use the fame and accompanying media access to call into question U.S. actions ‘that have led to the terrorism´ will not face hostile guns for their calumny.Indeed, they will be rewarded by talk show appearances and guest articles in magazines and otherwise feted for their supposed insight and wisdom, while others stand ready to die defending the way of life that allowed their fame and money.
The college students who plan and march in peace demonstrations never once, I´m sure, reflect that their freedom to do so was secured by the blood of others who wore uniforms instead of faded denim.Even now, as young men on the other side of the world face their deaths against those who viciously attacked this nation, the pampered and mindlessly self-centered bleat about their ‘freedom of speech.´Do they suppose the Constitution that guarantees such freedom could exist without the sacrifice and honor of those willing to serve their country?Their presence in elite universities shows their own unwillingness for such sacrifice; marching in the street while others march to battle in their place show they lack such honor.
Lawyers who ignore justice—using instead every ‘legal´ loophole and ploy to ensure their clients avoid punishment for their wrong-doing, no matter their guilt or innocence—can do so because of the commitment to freedom by those who wear the uniform of the U.S. military, past and present.By using technicalities they free those with no such commitment or regard for the rights, property and freedom of others, making decent people prisoners in their own homes for fear of these clients who roam the street for prey. They protect the powerful from the consequences of their criminal actions, bringing the law into disrespect, thus damaging the foundation of freedom for which soldiers fight and die.
At one time, the soldier to whom these words refer could have been any American, from any walk of life, any background.He (and it´s still primarily ‘he´, despite the on-going feminization of the military) has always been the one who puts his life on hold for a time, or forever, since he puts it at risk for the sake of the nation.At least that used to be true.
Since the elimination of the draft, however, the military is almost exclusively from the lower economic classes.Even the officer corps, traditionally from the upper class, has significantly changed.At least some of those with expensive educations in business, law and medicine still had to serve under the draft, thus involving most American families in a very personal way when our young men were in harm´s way.But since they need no longer fear the draft, many have gone from college or grad school straight into their profession.That leaves a military from the lower-middle and lower economic classes which, even during war, doesn´t command the concern, or respect, of those whose sons are safe in boardrooms, courtrooms and operating rooms.That is, from the elite who control the print and broadcast media, and who so greatly influence public opinion.
There´s nothing like having a loved one at the front to clarify one´s attitude about war or how it is being fought, and to touch a chord of empathy for those whose sons are wounded or killed.But that´s a unity our nation has pretty much left behind.
The current crop of war protesters and critics are the latest crop of those who do not serve.For a few days in September we heard not a word from the whining elite in media and on college campuses, and I foolishly hoped the reality of the terror had brought them to their senses.But we´re back to normal already, and daily I read of those who would ban the American flag, or the phrase ‘God Bless America´.And already the wags are bemoaning the conduct of the war; how long before the war itself is attacked by their poison pens?
I read this week that Harvard, that esteemed institution, refuses to allow the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets to drill on school property.Apparently, the nabobs and students there see no shame in showing enormous disdain and contempt for those whose voluntary service spares them from duty.
That´s just one more reason to re-institute the draft—not for needed manpower, but to remind every American that there is a price for liberty. In the few decades since the draft was abandoned, we´ve had ample evidence of the low esteem in which the elite hold liberty, the Constitution, etc. Since they pay no price for their freedoms, why should they appreciate them? Show me a veteran, even one who usually (like myself) strongly disagrees with the government, and I´ll show you an American who appreciates freedom more than the protester or pacifist.It´s because he has paid a price—in years of lost youth and missed opportunities; in sweat and physical strain; and for some, in blood and pain.
I don´t glory in the military, and certainly not in war; find me one man who has seen it close up who does.But I do honor and respect those who are willing to go, who value the blessings of liberty and accept their responsibility for preserving and defending it for future generations, with gratitude that those who came before did the same.
I confess my utter contempt for Americans who are too self-absorbed to serve, yet who condemn and disdain the military, as if they would have their freedom to carp and whine without the service and sacrifice made by servicemen throughout our history.And condemning military action when we´ ve been attacked is, in fact, belittling and degrading to the men and women who serve, despite claims to the contrary.But this is what we´ve come to expect from the elite, who have received the greater blessings of liberty, yet won´t stoop to defend it, leaving that to the poor boys.
Rudyard Kipling wrote of this same attitude at the end of the 19th century, about the treatment of British soldiers returned from, ironically, Afghanistan and the Middle East.In ‘Tommy´ (the slang term for ‘soldier,´ like ‘GI´.), Kipling wrote:
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap…
And:
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind", But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind…
And, finally:
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!" But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot; An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please; An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!
The soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen know about their low standing in the eyes of the pompous and pampered…but it´s not for them that they serve. They serve because they believe in this nation, and in the freedoms that, even now, some abuse.For that service they deserve our gratitude and admiration; for their commitment and sacrifice, they deserve our honor; and because they face danger aimed at us, they deserve our fervent prayers for their safety, and our unwavering support.For those who in their supra-educated and assumed wisdom cannot wholeheartedly offer that support, I have but scorn, and these words from Samuel Adams: “…may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!”
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