One thing we must all keep in mind is that the men and women who are defending this country are mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, daughters and sons – just like you and me. The most exciting part of their day is receiving a letter from home and knowing that they are loved and supported. If they’re lucky, they receive boxes from home with playing cards, socks, salty snacks and the Chapstick they need to sooth sore lips – anything to have the comforts of home in 90 degree weather with 100 percent humidity.
These soldiers and sailors are not going to war because they hate a certain religion. They are Christians, Muslims, Jews and even atheists who are all fighting together because they feel a sense of duty for their country. They are not going to the Middle East to hoard the world’s oil. They would much rather be home paying $2.50 a gallon for gas than missing their daughter’s first soccer game or their grandfather’s funeral.
Our men and women in uniform make about $1,000 to $2,000 a month, so they definitely are not in it for the money. That is not enough pay for me to sit through a 50 mile an hour sand storm that knocks over my tent and makes my Chapstick feel like sandpaper, within the range of a missile that could end my life.
Whether you agree with the war in Iraq should not change whether you support our troops. Many of them do not agree with going to war with Iraq either, but they do not have the option of blocking traffic to protest, and they certainly have no say in what is going on. It’s not like they can pick up the Bat phone and call the Pentagon to say to the Secretary of Defense, “Donny, my baby is having a heart transplant next week, so you have to cancel all these silly war plans.”
They are not excited to go to war, and they are not excited to risk their lives, but they are fearfully doing the job they solemnly swore to do. No one likes war, and our soldiers and sailors are no different. Instead of living a normal young adult life, our men and women in camouflage are defending our right to live in a free land, our freedom to protest the very reasons they are sitting in the middle of the desert and even the freedom to call them warmongers and other horrible names. Do you really think that a 21-year-old soldier would rather risk his life and sit in the desert in the same clothes he has worn for months with no shower, no television and no video games? Besides praying for their safe return, there are many things you can do to support our troops. Through www.operationuplink.com, one can donate a calling card to keep service members in touch with their families.
Because of fear of terrorist acts and inappropriate materials being sent to military members, the post office and the military will no longer allow mail to “Any Service Member” to be delivered. You can still send greetings to random service members through www.operationdearabby.net or www.defendamerica.mil.
If you were in Iraq, North Korea, Saudi Arabia or any other dictatorship in the world, you would not be able to stand on a street corner bashing the president or any government policies. But if you choose to take advantage of your American First Amendment and stand on the street corner with a sign saying, “Make Peace Not War” or “Drop Bush, Not Bombs,” then I challenge you to at least write on the bottom of your sign, “We Support Our Troops.” It’s the least you can do for the men and women who are making it possible for you to protest.
Rebecca Cooper, a junior journalism major, is arts and entertainment editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at spoildbeca@aol.com.
