When my son swore his oath to the U.S. Military, he joined something larger, nobler than himself. Whether I wanted to or not, I became part of something larger too, the military "family". To cope with my son's deployment to Iraq, I began volunteering with two organizations dedicated to supporting our troops.I am troubled by an unspoken rule within one of these organizations, that absent an unequivocal 100% blind faith buy-in to the actions in Iraq, I am not a Patriot, I am an "enemy". How absurd is this, while my son serves alongside yours, and I am here working shoulder to shoulder with you?Through my volunteer work, I have the opportunity to speak to men and women from all branches of the service. Resoundingly they speak of the seriousness under which they took their oath, completing their orders to the best of their ability, and their passion to fight, work, and protect their comrades. Compelling them is the fundamental basis of brotherhood, leaving all politics aside.My support of our troops follows that of a more basic nature as well; Motherhood. Your son/daughter is now mine. Every action I take is to see that our children are provided for, protected, and receive the veterans benefits they deserve. The polarization I find within the "family" runs anathema to what our children exemplify every day: unity. This skewed view of patriotism that I encounter rends the fabric of our family. Screaming "Victory at all costs" while waving a flag shows a lack of understanding of what our children, our military's objective is. We "won" the war in Iraq:Saddam's Republican Guard ran for the hills, and we marched in without opposition. This was a resounding success, and in no way then or now could our military be deemed as failing in its mission.I wish never for my son to return to Iraq. As a parent, I wish that no other mom will bear the excruciating pain of a child deployed there. Being realistic, I know these wishes are not to be granted anytime soon. Yet, if my son should be called to make the ultimate sacrifice, is it reallypatriotism that would ask other parents to continue to suffer the same fate, the loss of their beloved child? Or does it mean that I have failed to grasp the inherent nobility of my son's service to our country? No validation is required: my son is, and always will be, a hero. His character andintegrity, as well as that of all who serve today, speaks most eloquently to that.Where is our sense of brotherhood? The attitude of, "if you do not share my views, you are a pariah" is deplorable. We have no intercourse. When I attempt to frame my views through quotes from a renowned military commander, I am met with vehement spews of "Liberal!" hurled at me as an epithet:"When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war.""Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose""If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom.""The problem in defense is how far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without."These words were spoken by President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower. If Ike now sounds "liberal" is it any wonder we find ourselves, our country, and our "family" so far adrift?We are all in this together, paying with our blood. To impugne my Patriotism, or the service of my son fighting alongside yours, because of political differences does more harm to the fabric of this country than any terrorist could; destroying ourselves from within though jingoism. My kindof Patriotism, predicated upon the example of those who serve, has no place for that.
Also posted at <a href="http://bsf4o.com/forums/index.php">Blue Star Families for Obama Blog</a>
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