Family, War, Freedom, And Pride

 

By Leann Rogers

 

I never really knew any of my family who has fought in any war

Two of which are only in their early twenties

But this is about another relative of mine

A cousin, by my Grandfather

He was, as I’m told, in Korea

I’ve only seen one picture of him then, smiling or grinning at the camera

Relatively good looking, showing you humor regardless of where he was at the time of the photo

I may not understand war, but I do know with the number of Veterans of which I have met, none of them are sorry for serving

But like others, I know death

We all lost our cousin when he died of cancer two years ago if I can remember right

Several of his friends that were with him in the Army- I think that was his Branch of service- came, and immediately told me who they were

None of them had ever met me before, and I didn’t know them

I could barely even tell them who I was before I was told that my cousin had served with them

I didn’t even know that War would even be talked about at a Funeral

But from what they said, the were all proud of their service in Korea

And didn’t act like they thought that what they did was wrong

I may not be able to stand politicians that tell stories and lie

But I can’t ever stand politicians and people who think what we’re doing is wrong

 

As I’ve said before, I don’t know war

I don’t know how those my age feel about spending months on end away from home

But I do appreciate what they’re all doing

President G.W. Bush is doing the best that he can at the moment; he’s doing what his father started

There may be problems with how such is being done, but at least there’s been progress compared to what I consider Gulf War I

The Dictator is gone; there is Democracy where there was fear

And children are smiling at US Soldiers

Tell me that I’m lying, fine

I don’t care

But look at your children first, then at the eyes of parents, siblings, and spouses of the men and women fighting away from home

They are doing what others couldn’t and wouldn’t do

Talk about what went wrong after the War, not during

We learn more afterwards than we do before

 

Clinton, with his faults, should have kept things going

Not the First Gulf War anyway if he couldn’t- if there was more to stopping the First Gulf War than a Election Year

But the trouble that took us to Afghanistan, and back to Iraq

 

I mean no insult to anyone

But there is more of I than WE than before

The Society of which we live in is shell shocked, wanting to go back before all the trouble started

But I think of that we are all being tested right now

We say “Under God” and promise help to others

Maybe this is a time to prove that we can and will help other Nations than just our Allies and Neighbors

Look at the letters of soldiers writing about what we don’t see on TV, the children that meet them on the streets with their families smiling, the thanks they get from people that they don’t even know from the States

 

We may not like the idea of what the War has turned into

But nothing about fighting a war ever turns out the way it was planned

Our friends and family will come home soon, yes

But that doesn’t mean we can’t pray for those who help them fight

Finding out names to people who have helped shouldn’t matter

What should matter is the love and appreciation that our loved ones get even after they come home

 

This could be more than a chance to spread Democracy

It could help prove that once and for all that the USA can be trusted to be there when needed

Don’t we all want that?

 

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