random babble…

being former military i often reflect on the past four years.  it was a huge part of my life, a life in which the Kid has grown from infancy into childhood, in fact i am pretty sure that all of her memories are of our life in the military to present.  when i reflect on that part of my life i think about all of the great things, like the incredible education i received, the people i have met, and the amazing places i have and still do live.

i also think about the less savory things that were a part of that life.

i think about the things that drove me crazy every day.  the mindless obedience w/o questioning that we sign on for w/o even giving it a thought.  i think about the infamous DADT policy, and how horribly crushing that must be for some of the people i have known and loved these past years.

outside of my own experience i think about the people who serve overseas, more specifically directly in the war zone.  i think about them, putting their lives in danger and wonder if they ever question their purpose there.  i wonder if they ever, in their own minds, question whether they are really doing the good they are told they are doing.  i know that we are told not to question The Mission, that ours is to simply do and not think (well, technically in my field we were paid to think, but i digress).

i think about how the war protests must affect them.  i think about how this current primary season must affect them.  i wonder if it is any wonder that more veterans are being treated for mental illness than at any time in history.

when i read things like this, i know that my parting ways w/ active duty service is right for me.  i grieve it less.

and i never served in Iraq.

the problem i have w/ the good ADM’s sentiment is that these people carrying out The Mission, the people in the “cockpit, camp or conference room” are people.  they have feelings, both rational and irrational, and that means that there are going to be times when they question where they are and what they are being asked to do.  these are the people who should be having these thoughts.  they should be concerned about this election.  we are not simply dealing w/ numbers here as the military PtB would have you believe, we are dealing in people’s lives.  we are not simply dealing in monetary costs and prices per barrel and green zones and hot zones.  we are dealing w/ lives.  real lives of real people, both military and civilian.  both US citizens and citizens of the countries that we are supposedly “liberating”.

i know that when you enlist, or go to officer training school or whathaveyou that you give up a lot of your rights in order to “defend the Constitution of the United States”, and “obey the orders of those appointed over” you.  i have seen the papers, sworn the oath, and signed the contracts.  i have memorized the General Orders.  i am not an idiot.  i know what you get into when you sign your life over to your country.  

i also still believe in “Honor, Courage and Commitment”.

i also believe that those that are sending the troops into harms way in the name of The Mission have already pissed all over the Constitution that we are ordered to protect.  they are the ones condoning torture.  they are lying under oath, and not more than a few of them are now doing or have ever done what they are asking our troops to do now. 

i also firmly believe that we, as voters, and we, the people (not to get cliche, but hear me out) have a responsibility to those troops to be sure to elect people to office who are going to watch out for the best interest of those who give their lives to this nation.  we have a responsibility to ensure that they, in the name of “Mission Accomplishment” are carrying out just orders, lawful orders, and fighting just wars.  i am not sure that we can say that we are living up to that.

and i don’t believe that the military PtB are really concerned about our troops, the people upon whose backs we build the foundations of this war.  the people whose blood, sweat, and tears are what we have engaged in combat.  the people who, for many, had few other options for survival than to join up and take arms.  a promise of a cot and a hot daily, a steady paycheck, and a way to provide for a family or get out of a shitty situation sounds pretty good when other doors are slammed in your face.  i should know.  i was one such person.  a lot of people join the military for little more than economic manipulation of the lower and middle classes.  many of our law makers, many of the leaders of our nation, and certainly our Commander in Chief have never had to make that choice, nor would they let their children do the same.

even among our military leaders the lives of the senior officers are very different than the lives of the lower and middle enlisted and officers who are actively engaged in combat.

so you will excuse me when i say that while ADM Mullen may have good intentions in writing this open letter to all hands (what is that saying about the road to hell?) i don’t think he has a fucking clue what his words mean.

Admiral Mullen said he was inspired to write the essay after receiving a constant stream of legitimate, if troubling, questions while visiting military personnel around the world. He said their questions included, “What if a Democrat wins?” and, “What will that do to the mission in Iraq?” and, “Do you think it’s better for one party or another to have the White House?”

truth be told, i think if anyone in the world should be asking these questions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff it is the military personnel whose lives are in the middle of this.  they are the ones who at the end of the day can’t sleep b/c they see the faces of the people who died at their hands b/c they were following orders.

they were following orders, and we have failed to do the job of making sure that those orders are just and fair.  that is not something that we can pretend didn’t happen.  they should be mindful of who we are electing to office.  they should be asking what is going to happen to them when either party gets into office.  that is something that we can not pretend isn’t on their minds.