No Sir: Veterans Are Right, and Trashing Them Is Wrong
Trashing honored values is a great way to get attention. And so it is no surprise that as the nation plans to honor its veterans, on a web site that moved left past the double yellow line a long time ago, writer David Masciotra decided that his contribution to this year’s Veteran’s Day celebrations would be an article lambasting the men and women who sacrifice their lives daily protecting our freedom. Mr. Masciotra, from the safety of his well-protected armchair, derides our county’s tradition of honoring the men and women who defend our freedom as a “childish trait, of a childlike culture.” These are small words, from an even smaller man who thinks that he’s just that much better than all of us. It’s disgusting that people like this exist in America today, and is an indicator of just how low our society has come.
According to Mr. Masciotra, “No American freedom is at stake in Afghanistan.” Tell that to the 3,000 who died on 9/11. Tell that to their families who lost loved ones. Tell that to the soldiers dying everyday so we don’t have to. The threat is real. If Mr. Masciotra is so insistent that the Afghanistan war isn’t a “real” war, maybe he should go visit the frontlines. Why does he think there hasn’t been a major attack (with the exception of the Boston Bombing) since 9/11? Does he think that the Islamic terrorists decided to become jolly good fellows and not kill us anymore? Does he think that they realized the error of their ways and decided that cries of “Death to America” just weren’t doing it for them? No. There hasn’t been an attack because we have attacked and killed anyone who threatens our way of life. Our soldiers have made sure that anyone who wants to harm us ever again won’t live long enough to get that chance. They stand by; ready to do terrible, but necessary, things so that we can live without fear.
Our soldiers are heroes. Mr. Masciotra can trash them with every ounce of his “intellect,” but at the end of the day the simple truth is that the only reason he can rhetorically spit at our veterans is because men and women stand by ready to give their lives for that right. There is no greater body of people in the world than the men and women of the United States armed forces. That’s the simple truth. It’s a tragedy that those like Mr. Masciotra can’t see that. Maybe if he lived in a country like Iran, or North Korea, he would appreciate what he has here in America, thanks to our troops. For anyone who questions the relationship between being defended and being free, see what has happened to Ukraine, or read up on ISIS.
Mr. Masciotra points out the flaws of our military system, like the 2003 sexual assault epidemic, and documents leaked by Mr. Manning that purported to “show” incidents of U.S. soldiers laughing at civilians being killed. He seems to think that these flaws show “the sexual dungeon that has become the United States military.” Bad people and bad things come with every walk of life. Our military is no exception, but at least they’re trying to fix what is wrong. What about the epidemic of rape and sexual assault on college campuses? That’s been going on far longer than assault in the military, and no one seems to be doing much about it until just recently. What about the fact that we leave our children unguarded in schools? Hundreds have died at the hands of lunatics, and still we refuse to protect that which is most precious to us. What about the instances of people in this country crucifying the police for doing their jobs? The cries of racism after every police action ring out throughout the airwaves, regardless of what the truth of the action may be. True, sainthood is not a requirement to enlist. Courage is – sometimes the courage to stand up and fix what matters, even when there are catcalls to tear it all down.
War is hell, it always has been, and always will be. Bad things happen. In the aftermath of 9/11, when emotions were high, it is easy to see why some soldiers would go too far on the battlefield. Soldiers have been brought to justice for what they did. However, the actions of a few do not overwhelm the dignity of the many. What about in WWII when both sides carpet-bombed entire cities, killing thousands of innocent civilians? Why isn’t our writer crying out over that? According to Mr. Masciotra this was a “just” war. So does this imply that the only “good” wars are when both sides indiscriminately kill everyone they can? Mr. Masciotra should keep in mind the history of war before making sensationalist claims in an attempt to slander our military.
Mr. Masciotra represents a (thankfully) small section of America that seems to think that our troops aren’t worth anything. These so-called “pacifists” viciously attack servicemen and women in order to score some cheap political points. They will smear and twist the facts in such a way that it’s absurd. Mr. Masciotra uses Michael Brown’s death in this way. He calls it a “murder.” Apparently shooting a criminal who tried to take an officer’s gun now classifies as murder. In other words, soldiers can do nothing right. No, the military is not perfect. Our foreign policy has its problems, just like everyone else’s. The war in Afghanistan has gone on far too long. But don’t criticize the men and women over there, everyday, sacrificing for us. Our freedom is always at risk. There is evil in this world that wants to take it away from us. From Adolph Hitler, to Stalin, to ISIS, each generation has had a new face of evil to confront and defeat militarily to ensure that we, and our future generations, can be free.
To those who, like the writer, refuse to stand behind our soldiers, feel free to stand in front of them. Please don’t pollute our airwaves with anymore of your hate. If you think our country really is so awful because we respect and revere the people that protect our freedom, then just leave. No one is stopping you. Because, thanks to the soldiers you revile, we are free.
