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• Tuesday, September 19, 2006 08:45 AM

  an afterthought

  It only just occurred to me that you seem to assume that when people "learn" that soldiers actually die in combat (gasp! who knew?), they will lose any and all interest in the service. Maybe I'm being idealistic, but I'd like to think that America's youth is slightly more courageous than that.

  My brother, a year older than I, and a staunch opponent to the Bush administration and its policies, is planning on joining the Marines as soon as he gets his degree. My dad retired as a major in the Corps about 14 years ago after putting in 20 years of service across the globe. A good friend of mine from music ensembles spent the summer in basic and advanced training for the Army so that he can play tuba in an Army band. One of my very good friends since early childhood had no means of paying for college other than through the ROTC program, and she is currently deployed by the Air Force in the Middle East.

  It would be silly to assume that any of these people were unaware of the reality that war kills. I am a pacifist and don't understand the military's appeal, but that doesn't stop me from admiring these people for their courage and their sense of duty to something bigger than them... something I /do/ understand.

  I guess what I'm saying is that I would rather live in a world where people interested in the military said "Oh, people die in combat? Hmm. Well... that is a risk I am willing to take to do something I feel called to do," rather than "Oh, people die in combat? Oh bugger. Guess I'd better devote my sad life to slinking up the corporate ladder or something else less dangerous!"

  —Chloe
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