A Truism, A Reminder

From Darren at Right on the Left Coast:

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,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Father Denis Edward O'Brien USMC

Truer words were never spoken.

In a time when it is fashionable to "Support The Troops," we all need to be reminded of what The Troops have provided for us in the 229 Years since the Declaration of Independence. "Supporting the Troops" has become the modern platitutde mouthed by many who fail to understand the link between the sacrifice of The Troops and the freedoms we enjoy. It is easy to say "I Support the Troops" because it requires so little, just four little words and maybe a bumper sticker. We can assuage our guilty conscience with a simple platitude without realizing how such comments actually undermine the troops. Care packages and letters go a long way to boosting morale and I know that troops treasure such things. But it makes me wonder how may people who "support the troops" have actually done so.

The very fabric of our nation is tainted with the blood of The Troops, yet most people cannot see or understand the connection. As we struggle with our day to day problems, we often fail to recognize that simply mouthing words or putting a bumper sticker on our SUV does little to actually support the troops in the mission. The fact that people support the troops makes most of us feel good, but really does little for the solidier who is over there, away from home, away from family--maybe even getting shot at. Supporting the troops also means attempting to understand the mission--a mission they didn't get a hand in formulating. People can say, "I support the troops" and be accepted while at the same time denigrate the administration for its policies--never realizing the link between the two.

It is the policies of the administration that put the troops where they are. If you don't like the policies, fine, try to change them. But to stand up and say "I think President Bush and SecDef Donald Rumsfeld and their ilk are nothing but a bunch of war mongering idiots" insults, not the administration, but the Commanders of the troops and the troops themselves. Today's solidier is smarter than ever and to denounce their mission and their leadership while saying "I support the troops" is downright insulting to their intelligence.