well sir I wil have to disagree with you. I spent my time scratching around in the tidy cat, and I have no desire to go back. My life at this point would be a complete cluster if I were gone for another 15 months over there. We are always prepared to sacrafice some of us, but we can never sacrafice all of us. I left some of me over there I will never get back, I will not leave anymore. They should have fought it the way it needed to be fought to begin with

Heres what I think kitty!!


A Veterans’ Point of View
(written for submission to the NPR show, “I Believe”)
As a veteran of the Armed Forces, I watched the reaction to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and I saw a reaction similar to what I might expect at a sporting event. Instead of being shocked at the loss of life, soldiers, civilians, and property, people were watching it on the television at home, at work, and at the local pub laughing, cheering, and even playing armchair general. Did they not understand that these were real people in real places, with families, hopes, and dreams just like them, and that those American soldiers had mothers who were worried?
Many of my family members have served in the Armed Forces throughout the history of America, including myself both in war and in peacetime. There has always been a great deal of patriotism and pride in our participation and service to the country. Lately however, I have taken notice of the younger generation in my family, and I believe that they are a good representation of the younger generation in our country. Their attitude and the attitude of the majority of their friends seem to be that they are naturally entitled to the benefits and luxuries of our society without ever doing anything to contribute. It is not just in the youth that I see this attitude, but it surrounds me everywhere I go, when I listen to broadcasts on the radio, or television news, and even when I watch my favorite television series. Once, while listening to the news, I heard President Bush comment that he was well aware that our soldiers were making a great sacrifice, but that they were all volunteers.
I understand that the men and women who are risking their lives in service to our country are doing so voluntarily, but I worry that our government and some of the citizens are abusing them just because they do. These men and women are the most patriotic of Americans. I fear they are being sacrificed willingly and readily because they volunteer. OK, we were attacked first, and maybe the war is a just cause, then is it not the duty of every American to sacrifice equally, is it not everyone’s cause? If the President’s or the congressional representatives’ and Senators’ sons were among the ranks marching off to war, would they be so eager to send them into harm’s way? If the people at the local pub knew that their children might be the next to go, would they still cheer it on as if it were the World Series or the Superbowl?
I believe, if the young men and women of this country, either with the military or in a civil capacity, had to perform at least two years of national service. They would be more appreciative of the benefits of being an American. They might have more patriotism, and maturity, and vote more readily if this were required of them. I believe there would be a rise in the morale of our service members and they would feel more appreciated, when they did not have to perform repeated tours away from their homes and loved ones. We would also have more resources available for natural disasters like hurricane Katrina, and the many wildfires mudslides, and tornadoes that we have each year. We would be better able to patrol our borders and inspect shipments at our ports, and we would create more pride in the sacrifices that our brave men and women make in defense of our freedom, because we would all be making similar sacrifices. As a veteran, I often ask myself these questions and many more, and ponder these possibilities, and this is why I believe we should reinstate the draft.

Author, aka Fanta