Pat Dollard | Young Americans

You guys may remember back on our old website we used to have a section called “Reader Posts”…Howie was a regular there. He sent this in to us in response to the asswipe article “4,000 Rubes…”

“So, 4000 rubes are dead. Cry me the Tigris. Another 30,000 have been seriously wounded. Boo fucking hoo. They got what they asked for—and cool robotic limbs too.”

This the beginning of Ian Murphy’s article entitled “Fuck the Troops”, and I had to ask myself a questions after that first paragraph; Am I the only American that does not get this mindset? I think not.

I think the majority of America would agree that military service is very noble and honorable. I would also venture that the majority of America, excluding those on the very far left fringes of political thinking, would agree that Americans should respect and honor those who choose to serve their country by donning the uniform of their selected branch of the service.

To answer the question that Mr. Murphy poses in his third paragraph, “What service are they doing?” They are doing several services; some are new hats that the military is still growing into. First and foremost they protect America, our Constitution, Americans, our way of life and our interests both here and abroad. Mr. Murphy may not understand this, but that is most likely because he has never put on a uniform or agreed with anyone putting one on.

When you take the Oath when you sign on that dotted line you swear to defend this Great Nation from all enemies both foreign and domestic. And our military has fought all over the globe to do just that. You can trace the honor and dignity of our armed forces all the way back to our humble beginnings, the Revolutionary War. The United States military has always had a policy of minimizing civilian casualties, collateral damage, to the best of its ability. I don’t know of anyone who thrives on the unnecessary loss of life, but I firmly believe General Macarthur said it best “War is Hell”. Unfortunately war is full of shooting and things blowing up, and you can only control where bullets go to a point. And putting a missile in the upper left window of a building is a whole lot better than carpet bombing. Our Service Members are very mindful of where and at what they shoot at; and they value human life more than most. Like anything else that you may do in life, or any other vocation, there are going to be some people that are just bad actors. What most Americans do not know, only because it is not reported because it does not fit the agenda of a lot of news agencies, is that the men and women that are serving over seas are better behaved than the majority of their age group here at home. You are more at risk of becoming the victim of a violent crime here in the United States than you are as a member of the military serving in a foreign theater.

Our military has also been tasked with rebuilding neighborhoods and communities, physically as well as emotionally and spiritually. This is a rather new hat that our Soldiers and Marines are still growing into. Most Americans do not seem to realize that our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines also act as unofficial ambassadors. The average person in a foreign land will encounter a young Lance Corporal or Private First Class long before they encounter the groups that are tasked with assisting with the rebuilding of the specific community. Their conduct is seen, and judged, by the local residents every day. The fact that the majority of Iraqis and Afghanis support our troops being in their country, appreciate our helping hand, and welcomes our men and women in uniform speaks volumes. And you really have to give these young 18 and 19 year olds a lot of credit because as a group they have risen to the challenge admirably. How many of you as armchair quarterbacks actually believe that you could do what these kids are; and they are doing while they are being shot at, at times. I don’t even think that I could do what they are doing as well as they are, and I am a Former Marine. I don’t think that Mr. Murphy could hold a candle to these young men and women in his wildest dreams!

These men and women that hear the calling to put on that uniform day in and day out are not stuck in a bad situation. They have not made a bad decision, they have just chosen to journey down a path that Mr. Murphy does not comprehend. Some of the smartest people I have ever met in my life either are or were in the United States military. Today’s fighting men and women are more educated than at any other time in our nation’s history. Mr. Murphy and Senator Kerry just don’t seem to get the concept that military service is just that, service. It is a calling just like becoming a doctor, police officer, or a paramedic. The best example that I can give you is my brothers’ room-mate while he was in the Marine Corps. The young PFC was only 18 years old when he enlisted, and he did not join because he needed the college money or he was uneducated. The fact of the matter is the only thing keeping him from possessing a Masters degree was his professor not agreeing with his Masters thesis. I don’t think he falls into Senator Kerry’s “..if you don’t do your homework and get good grades you’ll end up stuck in Iraq…” I think he exemplifies the type of individual that signs that dotted line and takes that oath to heart.

People that tend to think like Mr. Murphy enjoy the luxury of exercising their 1st Amendment right to free speech because of people like Corporal Jason Dunham, Petty Officer Michael Monsoor, or Sergeant First Class Paul Smith. All three have been posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. All three gave there lives to not only save the lives of those that they served with; they gave their lives to ensure that Mr. Murphy could continue to speak freely in English instead of German, Russian, or Chinese. I would bet my bottom dollar that even after reading Mr. Murphy’s thoughts they would make the same decisions, and follow the same calling that they had. God bless them and keep them!

People that think like Mr. Murphy come up with catchy phrases like “No blood for oil”, “Bush lied and people died” or “We support the troops when they decide to frag their officers”. I would very much like to see them try to descent in any other country the way that we tolerate your disrespect. I would be willing to guess that they would not get a very warm reception from the local authorities. The fact that Mr. Murphy is able to spew his unappreciative and disrespectful rhetoric towards our brave men and women in uniform is proof enough of the service that they do.

Mr. Murphy says that “Liberals need to start calling a moron a moron—and openly mocking that moron if his positions or actions are indefensible.” What happened to liberals being the only group that took up fighting intolerance? It sounds to me that, or at least in Mr. Murphy’s description of liberals, that they are the group of intolerance. Where would liberals be if it was not for those of us who heard the calling and put on that uniform, and vowed to stand in-between them and those that would strip those rights from them? I do however agree that it is time to start calling a moron a moron; I just disagree with him as to who the moron is. I wonder if Mr. Murphy holds the same contempt for his local police. A good majority of police officers are veterans; some are still serving as reservists. Is Mr. Murphy the type of guy that has nothing but contempt for police until he is in dire need of their services? My guess is he is the first guy to complain about police harassment when they come and knock on his door, but the first to cry foul if they do not respond to his 911 call fast enough.

What if I am able to argue the facts, not the feelings, of our nation’s positions and actions? If my memory serves me correctly WMD’s were only one in a list of reasons to go to Iraq; and Saddam Hussein had fourteen months to change the course that his regime and America were on, and he chose not to. In fact, the majority of the intelligence agencies around the world all had the same information and opinion as America’s intelligence agencies. One of Saddams’ captured Generals told us that he was surprised that Saddam did not use the chemical weapons that the General was informed would be used on our military personnel.

Don’t forget about the 17 United Nations Security Council resolutions that Saddam did not comply with. Or the fact that the Gulf War never really ended, we were only in a cease fire; and Saddam was required to comply with all UN inspectors. Each of these 17 acts of defiance in and of itself would justify our actions. I firmly believe that Saddam had the WMD’s, he just hid them in the fourteen month run-up to the war, and they are probably in Syria. But hopefully we will never know for sure if I am correct because they are never used.

Mr. Murphy in short I hope that you thoroughly enjoy your protected right to bad mouth our brave men and women in uniform and burn American flags. Just make sure that you thank those that have protected and still are protecting these rights for you, “The Troops” and “The Vets” of the United States of America.

You are welcome.

John “Howie” Howell
L/Cpl USMC
1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Bn.
1st Marine Division
1991-95