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The reality on the ground in a war zone (declared or undeclared) is
often much different than the picture painted in the news media. There is no doubt that the majority of our military members have good intentions.
Many individuals and units have and consistently do perform many
wonderful humanitarian services in their relatively small spheres of
influence. Our military personnel are usually trying to do their part to make the world a better place.
Intentions, acts of goodwill and rebuilding do not detract from the fact that lives are changed forever for some military members when they are ordered to eliminate questionable "targets" in their country's name, not to mention the way that lives are changed for the loved ones of those killed. The number of innocents killed during the Iraq War is astronomical. There are many veterans in our country today who are trying to deal with feelings of guilt over their actions during the war, even though they may have felt that they had no choice.
I love what Darrell Anderson had to say, several years ago now, about his experience as a soldier in Iraq. As it becomes increasingly clear that the Obama administration's policies in the US and around the world are no less frightening and ominous than those of its predecessor, I think that Anderson's words deserve to be revisited and introduced to anyone considering joining the military.
You never know exactly what the military is going to ask you to do. It's too late, when you are given the order to shoot, to consider the broader implications of, or the rationales for your nation's policies. In an instant, you may be forced to choose between protecting your life and the lives of your comrades in arms, or killing potentially innocent people caught up in a political game, at the wrong place and time... Pawns, just like you.
Intentions, acts of goodwill and rebuilding do not detract from the fact that lives are changed forever for some military members when they are ordered to eliminate questionable "targets" in their country's name, not to mention the way that lives are changed for the loved ones of those killed. The number of innocents killed during the Iraq War is astronomical. There are many veterans in our country today who are trying to deal with feelings of guilt over their actions during the war, even though they may have felt that they had no choice.
I love what Darrell Anderson had to say, several years ago now, about his experience as a soldier in Iraq. As it becomes increasingly clear that the Obama administration's policies in the US and around the world are no less frightening and ominous than those of its predecessor, I think that Anderson's words deserve to be revisited and introduced to anyone considering joining the military.
You never know exactly what the military is going to ask you to do. It's too late, when you are given the order to shoot, to consider the broader implications of, or the rationales for your nation's policies. In an instant, you may be forced to choose between protecting your life and the lives of your comrades in arms, or killing potentially innocent people caught up in a political game, at the wrong place and time... Pawns, just like you.
The time to consider whether or not you will take up arms and who you will carry your weapon for is before you agree to carry the weapon, and to follow orders. If you are thinking about joining the military, research our country's policies and recent developments. You never know what political events might occur during your military tour. You never know who you may be ordered to kill.
Don't join the military with your eyes closed. You will take an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, from all enemies foreign and domestic. Do you believe that this is what the US military did in Iraq, is doing now around the world, and in our own country? The time to consider that question is now.
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