Because......It Runs in My Family!

RedneckR0nin · #1 ● 04-24-2011, 11:10 PM

The below post and title was written by a friend of mine in another forum. Say you what you will about the politics of war and reasoning for it but this is a man I respect and in ways look up to. He went to Iraq and Afghanistan and well spoken, never ignorant and just a general good all around guy. The photo is his platoon and from here on in are his words not mine ...reposted with permission! Although I am Canadian I support the American troops!

The topic says it.

I'm 27. I signed up for the armed services when I was 18, in 2002. Why'd I do it? I had everything in front of me. I had a letter in the mail every other day from a different university. I scored a 32 on the ACT, I excelled in wrestling, football, and track. I had grown up around the military, long before 9/11. I was taught how to shoot and hunt by numerous veterans in my family, some of which volunteered and some who were drafted. Now I was graduating soon and I felt an obligation to serve. Sure, 9 months prior to my graduation an epic moment in history had occurred. If it hadn't, would I have gone to college? I honestly don't think so. Like I said, there was an obligation in my mind. It wasn't for a war, it wasn't for vengeance, it was for peace of mind. To know that I did what men have been doing since the beginning of time.

I was 19 when I was in my first firefight. 12 hours long. It was documented in magazine articles (Time: "Battle in the Evilest Place"), published in literature (The Unforgiving Minute by Craig Mullaney). We had one killed, shot by a sniper. All the while we killed over 100. The day after we had a grief session. "Stupid f*cking hagis", one guy said. Racist banter all around, pure anger at the loss of one of our own. Then our platoon sergeant stepped in, "Tell me why you guys joined." And it was nothing that this generation would ever expect. 29 of us, one short, all gave our answers. The most common answer? "Because it runs in my family." "My father served and so did my grandfather." Etc. There were only a couple who said, "Because of 9/11".

What I'm trying to get across is that the military, and individual soldiers in general, are starting to take a lot of heat these days. Granted it's been 10 years since going to Afghanistan, 8 since Iraq, and people have a right to be angry, but I'm seeing more and more that people are taking it out on the soldier and not the Governments involved.

In my opinion, if these wars keep going, we're a couple years from the average person spitting on the American/Coalition soldier once again. I've witnessed it first hand since finishing my degree post military. When I got out I was praised in my classes, then semester by semester I was ousted and ostracized by some. Why? I still dont know. I was just doing what those before me had done.... Bad timing perhaps?

I look back I wouldn't change a thing. I've killed and I've seen my own killed. For the guys serving now, around my age and those grandfathered in before me, it was a matter of bad timing. It wasn't a declaration of war stemming from 9/11. So... keep that mind. The myth that we serve to kill is just that, a myth.

"This has been the test of all the great generations throughout history. That when the time came the average citizen said "I will sacrifice myself for my country". These kids didn’t want to be there. 17, 18, 19 years old, they wanted to be shooting .22s at rabbits, not M4’s at other young men. They wanted to be throwing baseballs, not hand grenades. But there was an evil force loose in the world and it fell to them to have to deal with it because when the challenge came, the society said to them “You have to go out there and fight”, they did."

joak · #2 ● 04-24-2011, 11:42 PM

well said. i like this guy.

Warack60 · #3 ● 04-24-2011, 11:44 PM

I have a friend who was a pretty smart guy although he didn't get a 32 on his ACT(holy shit I thought my 30 was great), but he went to West Point and half way through wanted to drop out so he could enlist. Luckily he was smart enough to stay for the next 2 years and command these guys. I do have to disagree that people hate the individual soldier though. I'm at one of the most liberal schools in the country, and even they support the troops they just really hate the powers sending them in. Anyways much love to our military.