America we should be ashamed

Carolyn Hileman* | July 16, 2008

America we should be ashamed
Carolyn Hileman

Maybe it is because my daughter just went to boot camp yesterday; maybe it is because with all the bills and no extra income I am feeling very tired right now. While I am exceedingly proud of my daughter for choosing to serve her country, I also know the kind of country she is serving and I know there are people including one of the presidential candidates who refers to anyone in any authority as fascist, he calls Ice terrorists and he and his friends have yet to say anything good about our troops as a matter of fact from their comments one would honestly believe that America was evil, those serving her the devil and anyone who stood against her our savior and I must admit it scares me that we as Americans actually voted for these people, and may vote for one as president.

The recruiter told my daughter that he was surprised that I didn’t cry and hang on to her before they left, but I had decided long before yesterday that I would not act in any way that might make my daughter question her decision, I did not want her to think Mommy and Daddy had any fear that we would never see her again. We took care of all the mushy stuff at home let her know just how very proud of her we were and that she would always have us to come back to. In this day and age when terrorists are considered freedom fighters and our troops are considered illiterate scum I didn’t want my little girl to have any doubts about her decision and I wanted her to know that even though the rest of the world might not appreciate what she was doing I for one did.

Maybe it is just hitting me today, I don’t know? But I wonder what our brave men and women in uniform must think about us today? We sent them to defend freedom with the we are behind you promise and we as a nation have not kept our promise. Our troops are more likely to dread coming home more than the next firefight simply because they know what has been said about them, they know that a majority of people say the support the troops one minute then degrade them the next. They know the sight of a man or woman in uniform now either evokes pity or disdain, no longer do people look upon these great men and women with respect and honor and our country should be ashamed.

Those who stand behind the troops are few and far between and they are not mobilized or motivated, they keep their heads down as if they say anything someone might drop a bomb on them. Those who hold our troops in the deepest disdain are loud and proud, they are mobilized, motivated and very well funded and they hate our troops, they hate our kids. Let’s be honest here shall we, we can call them the troops, we can call them the brave men and women in uniform, but when it comes down to it these are our children. Doing the things we taught them to do, love their country, protect their country, and serve their country and for doing that they have become the great pariah. If I hear another person say I support the troops just not their mission I will come unglued. What is it about their mission that they disapprove of?

Is the loving their country enough to put their lives on the line to see it safe part? Is it the protecting their country from all evil in the world part? Is it the serving their country to their fullest ability part? What is that they disapprove of? Is it the fact that after years and years of putting our country down we still have young men and women who would proudly wear the uniform, is that it, is it because there are still parents who teach their kids that this is the greatest country in the world and still worth defending? What is it about their mission that opens them up to be taunted, tortured and hated by the very people they are trying to protect? These young men and women who stand in the way of danger deserve better than us, we could not even begin to be honored enough to wipe the sweat from their brow and yet we judge them? We sit at home in our air conditioned homes, with running water, in relative safety and have the unmitigated gall to say that they are not good enough? They can’t do the job? America, we should be ashamed.

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