A Military Parents Perspective

I've mentioned my friend Leslie Drummond before here and here. Leslie's son is stationed in Iraq and she was stirred to start the Yellow Ribbon Club, an organization run by her that sends care packages to our troops.

I e-mail back and forth with Leslie several times a week and enjoy her spirit immensely. In all the months I've communicated with her, I've never asked what her opinion of Cindy Sheehan was out of respect for Leslie and her husband. It felt to me to be an intrusive question.

Since starting the Yellow Ribbon Club, Mrs. Drummond has been on the news frequently accepting goods for the care packages from schools throughout the region. Well, she was asked to comment on the State of the Union speech by a local news organization last night and here's her words verbatim:

From the very beginning, when the President told us that we were going to the Middle East, he asked us to be patient and that it may take some time to complete the mission to build democracy in Iraq. Well, my son and many others signed up for the military knowing that he would likely be deployed there. My son is now in Iraq, my son-in-law is in the Airforce in Japan and my other son-in-law is in the Coast Guard and works for Homeland Security. I stand by all of the brave men and women who knowingly put themselves in this position. This position is an honorable position and deserve nothing less than our respect and continued support. They also deserve to know that even though we may be scared for them, we are willing to be patient for them. They deserve to know that all Americans appreciate them stepping up to the plate for us. It is so sad to see a woman continue to generate negative attention on behalf of her fallen son. I hope I never have to endure her pain, but the possibility is real in my life and I can tell you that no matter what happens, I will always support and honor my son and my son in laws no matter what happens. I will always generate positive attention for all of the troops, they deserve nothing less.

The president said that the time for pulling out of Iraq will be dictated by the military officials, not politicians in Washington. He is right. I have talked to many soldiers since the beginning of my club and I can tell you that I take stock in what I am told by the soldiers who are in Iraq, not those who are watching everything on TV like the rest of us. I will listen to the ones who come home with sand in their fingernails and pride in their eyes because they did wonderful things in Iraq.

I have to believe our President as he honors our military men and women with passion in his eyes. Those are my sons that he is talking about when he speaks of them with honor.

I'm a pretty hardened guy but her words got me choked up. She inspired me to write why I joined:

I joined the military--as did my brother, dad and several friends--knowing full well that I may be ordered into a precarious situation. I didn't do it because of my financial situation or any other reason beside the fact that I wanted to serve my country and what we stand for. I wanted to protect our way of life and ideals.

I served for the people who supported me and those that did not. I served for the flag wavers and the flag burners. I served for the guy who started a business and believes in capitalism and the girl who believes that Trotsky and Marx were brilliant. I served for the people who support the troops and those who would refer to them as "baby killers".

In short, I served for America. To those who can't understand or comprehend or even deride how I feel, I served for you also. [END]

Corny? Not to me or many who've served in our armed forces.

Thank you Leslie, America is a better place because of people like you and I'm proud to say you live in my town.

Update: Cross posted here.

Update 2: The words of a soldier in Iraq:

“I look at faces and see fellow human beings, and I say, ‘O.K. This is the sacrifice I have to make to bring them freedom.’ That’s why I joined the military. Not for the college money, for doing what’s right. Fighting under our flag. That’s what our flag stands for. I believe in that stuff. Yeah, we might lose American soldiers, but they are going to lose a society, lose a people. You’ve got to look at the bigger picture. I’ve lost friends, and it hurts. It definitely hurts. But that’s even more reason why I say stay. It’s something that has to be done. If we don’t do it, who will?”

Read the entire great piece.