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Appreciate the means by which comes our might
The other night I was having dinner with my sister—she’s a junior high teacher in Lemoore. She is also a staunch liberal. For those of you who are not familiar with Lemoore, there is a naval air station there, and as a direct result my sister teaches a lot of children whose parents are or were involved in the military. While talking to my sister, she said something that really made me think. At her school she has a student who lost a parent in our country’s recent military involvements. My sister said, “I can’t understand how this little girl can be so proud of a country that took her father away from her.” Her words fascinated me because I have never looked at military casualties this way. While I can understand her point of view, her words illustrate an important and fundamental difference between a liberal and a conservative. How can anybody be proud of a country that takes away their loved one? The quick and easy answer is that the loved one died “for the better of the whole” or they “died for a good cause.” Families believe that even though they lost a family member, the amount of good outweighed the amount of personal loss. This is why many of those families who lost a loved one in Iraq are still proud of their country. Conversely, this is also the reason why so many families felt bitter about the United States when they lost a loved one in Vietnam. The real question, however, is why do people like my sister see the loss of soldier so differently than the little girl who now has no father? Many would say the girl is foolish to be so proud of the United States, and she only feels the way she does because she was raised believing her father died for a good cause. While indoctrination may be the case for little children, it is not the case for the thousands of adults who have had the time to consider their opinions. What most liberals do not realize—and what conservatives see so plainly—is that the loss of a family member because of war is a small price to pay for our way of life. Citizens of the United States live a certain lifestyle, and if we want to keep our land and resources we need people like that little girl’s father who died in a foreign land. Even if a war is unjust, I am still extremely thankful for those soldiers who did their part and died under the flag of the United States. It is people like that little girl who understand that even though her father is gone, it is those like him who let her live the life she does. Our military men keep us safe and are the reason we enjoy the freedoms we do—regardless whether America is involved in World War II or Vietnam. It is easy for us to criticize our soldiers, and it is even easier to criticize the United States, but these two entities are responsible for the riches we enjoy as Americans. The United States has its flaws. There are many things I hate about our government. I can say the same about our military. But by God, I owe every second of my capitalist-loving, over-consuming life to them. I would have it no other way. I commend that girl who praised the name of this country after her father died. She might not know it now, but she will know that this country is nothing less than a blessing to a very small number of people on this Earth. We are very lucky to be here. We are very lucky to have such a professional military that defends our values. If you do not believe me, try getting a job in Mexico. Try buying a home with a backyard in Japan. Try staying alive in Somalia. All too often I see liberals forget how wonderful this country is. My sister refuses to hang an American flag on her home. While she has every right to, I feel sorry for her. I feel sorry that the little girl sees what she does not. — This columnist can be reached at collegian@csufresno.edu |
