In Honor of Those Who Serve - 9/11

To my comrades past and present, and especially to those in the 519th MI BN...I think of you often.

War Never Solved Anything

"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." -- John Stuart Mill

I'm not pro-war. War IS an ugly thing, but as long as nations and leaders exist that detest freedom, sometimes it is the only way to secure a lasting peace. Most leftist anti-war protesters and pundits don't understand this. They state that this use of force is always unnecessary -- that war, ANY war, is never good. Some of them, born into the luxury of American freedom, believe that liberty can exist passively, that somehow the world's natural state will always settle into utopian harmony.

Here's excerpts from President Bush's speech on the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq:

"No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure – but those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq. If we were to allow our enemies to prevail in Iraq, the violence that is now declining would accelerate – and Iraq could descend into chaos. Al Qaida would regain its lost sanctuaries and establish new ones – fomenting violence and terror that could spread beyond Iraq’s borders, with serious consequences to the world economy.”

I have no ill will towards those who do not support the war. I've suffered from "war" weariness and questioned policies, tactics, etc. But the "leftists" who usually carry the loudest megaphones; left unchallenged, voices heard disproportionately, demoralizing the troops, and emboldening dictators around the world need to be confronted with the truth of history and reality.

And stop harassing the men and women in our armed forces who are just doing their job.

Entertainers Who Support the Troops

Every once in awhile you hear about celebrities, be they movie stars or musicians, who praise the troops, visit the troops, or put together special projects for the troops. Here is one recent example:

John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting has brought together many musicians to produce a CD for the troops. Here's the skinny:

Just in time for the holidays, 13 major recording artists have created a musical “Thank You” for the troops.

“CD for the Troops” will be available for anyone with a valid military identification card to download at no cost from the Army and Air Force Exchange Service Web site, www.aafes.com, beginning tomorrow.

Getting this project, which combined the music of Billy Joel, Brooks & Dunn, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jewel, Josh Groban, Los Lonely Boys, Melissa Ethridge, the Neville Brothers, Sarah McLachlan, the Lt. Dan Band, Montgomery Gentry, The Fray, and Five For Fighting, to troops’ ears took true teamwork. John Ondrasik, the singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name “Five For Fighting,” was intimately involved with making sure that happened.

Several times during deployments, I had the opportunity to see and interact with celebrities. Although, I might not have agreed with their political leanings or really liked what they had to offer as far as entertainment goes, I took the time to visit with them and tell them how much I appreciated what they were doing to support the troops. I certainly admire those who support the troops, and tend to, more often then not, support them by listening to their music or seeing their movies.