BestOfBothWorldsAZ.com

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

Do you really support our troops?

I think most people would say that they support our troops. What does that really mean, to “support” our troops? It’s easy to buy the tee shirt or slap a bumper sticker on your car, but I am not sure that fully constitutes supporting our troops. I think that it is easy for Americans to become a little bit self involved and forget about everything outside of our own world. Perhaps you are thinking about where you will go for happy hour, what outfit to wear, the office gossip, or some sort of sporting event. Consider for a moment the every day life of a soldier or how they cope with returning to civilian life after a year or more of combat. Imagine how the parents, children and spouses cope while their loved one is deployed.

You can not wear patriotism like a fashion accessory, and you can not “support” our troops as a trend. To me supporting our troops is more than acting politically correct. To support someone is to provide for them, give them strength, and to keep them from becoming week or falling. To support our soldiers, is to become an advocate on their behalf.

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” -Cynthia Ozick

My brother at Fort Hood in Texas, preparing to be deployed.

My Personal Story

For those who don’t know, my brother is a medically retired, disabled Veteran.
I would like to share what life was like for my family and I while my brother was deployed. My brother was deployed to Iraq at the beginning of the war. At that time the war was basically televised 24/7. Every moment I was home, my television was on CNN or Fox News. If I was in my car, I was listening to news radio. I was waiting to see or hear something familiar, anything that suggested he was alive and safe. Every night, when they would list the names of fallen soldiers, we would listen and pray that his name wouldn’t be next. Every night that his name was not on the list, I would thank God. I would also feel guilty and almost ashamed for my gratitude, because I knew that at the same time, there was another family listening to those names and suffering my worst fear. I was not alone on this emotional roller-coaster, my mother was also a wreck. My brother’s wife and kids were struggling too, and trying to exist in everyday life, minus a father and husband. Our entire family spent a year worried. Occasionally he was able to call his wife, but there wasn’t a lot of communication at that time. We would send letters and care packages, but wouldn’t get a letter back for months. It’s difficult having someone you care about in a war. You know the dangers and possibilities, and you never know if they are okay. The worst part is feeling helpless; you can not protect them or even offer any advice. As an older sister, I have always been protective over my “little” brother, but war challenges that behavior. You can only pray and wait.

Me with my brother

I began to doubt that Americans truly support our soldiers, shortly after my brother came home from Iraq. When my brother first came home, it was like a weight had been lifted. I will not share all of my feelings and experiences of that time. I prefer to keep those memories for myself. I will say that I was excited to celebrate my brothers safe return and fully expected that every one else would feel the same. I imagined a hero’s welcome would greet him every where he went. I promised to take him out, and was excited to show him our local bars and night clubs. I was shocked and sorely disappointed at the complete lack of gratitude and enthusiasm expressed for a returning soldier. There were a few people who bought him drinks or thanked him for his service and my brother appreciated any gratitude he received. I don’t think he really had any expectations. I on the other hand, had high expectations, something along the lines of a red carpet treatment. I was totally embarrassed by the superficial behavior that surrounded me. It was that night that I realized that some people think a VIP is a stripper or a douchebag with an abundance of hair gel. I felt like a child that just found out Santa Clause isn’t real. I looked around at the men in the club and wondered how they would react if there was a draft, and they had to replace their BMW’s and hair gel for IED’s and Kevlar. Do these guys appreciate that there are men that volunteer to fight for this country? If it were not for the volunteer service of our soldiers, these guy’s would not have their evenings free to buy overpriced drinks and pretend to be awesome. I know that my attitude may seem abrasive, but I always held Americans to a high standard of patriotism. When I see American patriotism taking a back seat to materialism, vanity, entertainment and self absorbency, it breaks my heart. I hope this does not represent a new American attitude. If you have not done something to show your gratitude towards a veteran or our soldiers, then you can not claim to support or troops, however you have every right to feel ashamed.

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. ~Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935

Jesse and Josh while deployed in Iraq

Jesse

Jesse

Josh

Josh

I would like to dedicate this post to my brother Jesse and his close friend Josh.

Jesse and Josh were in Iraq together, and maintain their friendship today. Both have lived in Arizona and were in the 4th Infantry Division, stationed out of Fort Hood Texas. Together they operated a missile launcher, Jesse was the gunner and Josh was the driver. Thank you for your service to our country, and thank you for allowing me to share your personal photo’s.

I would like to thank all American Soldiers and Veterans for their service.

Please share something that you have done to support our troops. I would love to hear your personal experience.

Thank you for visiting Best of Both Worlds Az.
You can follow us on facebook, twitter and on our blog site.
www.bestofbothworldsaz.com