A belated Veteran's Day blog

Since Veteran’s Day was just observed this week, I thought this blog would be appropriate. I recently watched a documentary on an American soldier who was called back to duty in Iraq. I have to say, it was a heart wrenching documentary to watch. He already served for 3 ½ years in Iraq and was being called back again. The camera followed him for days prior to leaving American soil, then through basic training, with a final destination in Iraq. Once in Iraq, the soldier gave the viewer a glimpse of what his daily life was like while stationed overseas. This soldier was stationed in Baghdad. The poverty stricken streets and the barricades he lived within were as scary as I had imagined. Not that I was expecting to see The Ritz Hotel, but their living quarters were nothing less than the most basic of amenities…and as shown in the video, even the basics weren’t always guaranteed. The soldier commented on how he mastered the art of showering with a water bottle because they no longer had running water in their barracks. As I was sitting in suspense the entire time he was being filmed walking through the sandy, gloomy streets of Baghdad, it was hard to remember I wasn’t watching a drama series and in fact, this was someone’s real life. Wow, the dangerous situations all soldiers put themselves in! And to think most of them volunteered! It really takes a special type of person to enlist in the military. I personally, couldn’t do it and wouldn’t want anyone close to me to enlist either.

I realize it’s important to have a military to preserve our security however I don’t necessarily agree with our military going to war to resolve conflict. I know there are so many ways to debate the issue of war that it’s a dichotomy of opinions. I’m not going to delve very deeply into my own, often contradicting beliefs on this either, because it will be a never ending blog leading to no definitive right answer. I’ll say just this. I don’t claim to know all there is to know about the war, government, the military etc. but I don’t necessarily see how invading another country to infiltrate their government (as corrupt as it might be) and impose our belief system on them, is the right way to go. I realize the fact that there is no simple answer however, attacking these countries, risking so many of our young soldiers lives, spending exorbitant amounts of our money and essentially going to war for peace ,simply cannot be the right answer.

I think if every President had to enlist in the military prior to even considering becoming a president, they might not act so quickly on emotions when sending our troops into combat. That should be a prerequisite to becoming a president…makes sense to me.

I also think more should be done for those who serve our country, especially if they go to war. I decided to look up the number of homeless soldiers living in The United States. The National Coalition of Homeless Veterans is quoted as saying “Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country. According to the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Urban Institute, 1999), veterans account for 23 percent of all homeless people in America.” There’s really nothing I can say about this other than it deeply saddens me and more should be expected of our government as it relates to the welfare of our soldiers.

I’ll end this by simply saying, to all the men and women who have served, continue to serve and who will serve our country...THANK YOU for having the courage and bravery to do so!