You may be overly sensitive to it. In any case, it's almost as distressing as watching the disingenuous unbridled enthusiasm displayed by many with the over-the-top fawning over our troops. It began with the returning soldiers from the Gulf War, the first major engagement since Vietnam, where massive national guilt had taken a grip so as to have people in this country make absolutely sure that returning soldiers did not experience anything even remotely close to what Vietnam veterans experienced. The pendulum swung back too far, can I get a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree.
And the fawning continues, because it's in vogue, it's all the rage, it's politically correct.
Credit is due where credit is deserved, and all soldiers deserve some credit. But they aren't as a group due the kind and level of credit that many people give them. To listen to some, simply by virtue of volunteering to wear a uniform, all soldiers are a pair of sandals away from walking on water.
That's not to say you shouldn't be proud of your son. You should be. We all are proud of everyone who volunteers to serve our country in the military. But we don't need any idealistic embellishments to build these people up to be more than they are. Like, we don't need to be told the Marine Corps doesn't accept slackers, whiners or stupid people, when we all know darn good and well they do. The military including the Marines are loaded with the same thing that's out in civilian land. Some are accepted, some slip through the cracks, some are dealt with, and some are put in the field of battle with a gun in their hand. And these same slackers, whiners and stupid people, regardless of their branch of the military, will be issued their own virtual sandals by the American people when they come home.
We absolutely agree on one thing however, that few if any people volunteer for military service because of the money. Everyone I know in the military, current and former, all say essentially the same things: they would do it for free as long as their families back home were taken care of. My cousin, who is a Colonel making like 10 grand a month, says the same thing. Not sure what his stance would be on Congress cutting out military pensions, tho.
We've had this conversation before. Almost verbatim. I view honorable military service as noble. Others may hold a different view. I find honorable military service given by young American men and women to be praiseworthy. Moreover, I believe they need and deserve our support. Again, no one is required to share my views. Where some see political correctness, others such as myself, see the patriotism needed to defend our way of life. Idealistic? Maybe.
