As I sat in the Detroit Airport at 7:04 (my departure time) last night, waiting for my plane to leave Cleveland... I was facing Mr. Kessinger, a soldier in the Army. He was clad in a pixilated camouflage desert-storm-style suit. I of course was disgusted by the blatant sign of violence because as I generally feel, the military is just a sick place where people enjoy shooting other people. However, I was reminded that this is not necessarily the case when I boarded the plane.
He was in the seat in front of me and the first class flight attendant came up to him and said, "Come up with me to 4C." He seemed confused, so the flight attendant explained that they wanted to upgrade him. He stoically said "I'm fine. I don't need to move." I think some other dude followed the flight attendant up to the front. The common man class flight attendant said to him "We like to upgrade our soldiers when we can" in an almost apologetic tone. Then the man across from him turned shook his hand and said "Thank you for your service."
That was when I remembered that these soldiers really are giving us a service whether we like the means of their service or not. Many are probably unable to find other work and find that enlisting gives them an opportunity to make a living, albeit a dangerous one. So, with renewed respect for our service men and women, I end this post. Thank you, Mr. Kessinger.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Mr. Kessinger
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Thanks. As John Kerry stated, we shouldn't confuse the warriors with the war. I believe that most of our soldiers did not join the military because they enjoy killing people. On the contrary, most of them probably watched the tv commercials and viewed the military as a place to serve one's country and get an education. Many of our soldiers are in the bottom half of the economic ladder, and simply cannot afford college otherwise. They are forced to kill people and face death and dismemberment simply to get an education. I can easily thank them for their brave service while simultaneously criticizing their commander in chief for sending them into harm's way for fictitious reasons.
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