Tribute to Veterans

Today, I joined the parade a short drive in the neighboring town. My daughter was part of it together with her girl scout troop and we as the parents walked behind. At the end of the parade, I was able to shake hands with two retired vets. A very old vet of which I don't know which part of the Armed Forces he served in, and his son in-law who was former Air Force (with a hot old Trans Am I might say). And as I walked later on with my friend and his dog in his neighborhood, we passed a house with pretty landscaping and all decked out in US and Marine flags. We stopped and I rang the bell. As the son answered and since his dad wasn't available at this time, I asked him to tell his dad that I thank him for his service. It is not much that we can do and for me, I never had served in the military, it is the least. But it is important to those to know that we do appreciate what they were willing to do for us so that we can enjoy our freedom.

Yet, as I'm writing this, I think about our troops today and the wars that they are asked to fight. Not that it is not important, but when our leaders don't step in to stop soldiers of being able to be court marshalled for alleged crimes, even so we fight an enemy that does not fit any norm of a regular soldier, how can we honestly expect them to give their all. More so, when our own government is not willing to identify the enemy but instead rubs shoulders with the very same countries that would like to see us taken over by Islam on one hand, or being wiped out as a major power, i.e. Hugo Chaves on the other. As we are fighting a people that doesn't shirk back from using women and children as cover for the sake of Islam and who are using mosques and holy places as cover and storage depots for their arms, we are walking as on egg shells in order not to be insensitive when they show know sensitivity to us at all.