I read this, thought of my son and his graduation from basic and the pride I felt and it brought a tear to my eye.
Quote:
Thanking Our Troops
By Frank Schaeffer
The Washington Post
Before my son became a Marine, I never thought much about who was defending me. Now when I read of the war on terrorism or the coming conflict in Iraq, it cuts to my heart. When I see a picture of a member of our military who has been killed, I read his or her name very carefully. Sometimes I cry.
In 1999, when the barrel-chested Marine recruiter showed up in dress blues and bedazzled my son John, I did not stand in the way. John was headstrong, and he seemed to understand these stern, clean men with straight backs and flawless uniforms. I did not. I live on the Volvo-driving, higher education-worshiping North Shore of Boston. I write novels for a living. I have never served in the military.
It had been hard enough sending my two older children off to Georgetown and New York University. John's enlisting was unexpected, so deeply unsettling. I did not relish the prospect of answering the question "So where is John going to college?" from the parents who were itching to tell me all about how their son or daughter was going to Harvard. At the private high school John attended, no other students were going into the military.
"But aren't the Marines terribly Southern?" asked one perplexed mother while standing next to me at the brunch following graduation. "What a waste, he was such a good student," said another parent. One parent (a professor at a nearby and rather famous university) spoke up at a school meeting and suggested that the school should "carefully evaluate what went wrong."
When John graduated from three months of boot camp on Parris Island, 3,000 parents and friends were on the parade deck stands. We parents and our Marines not only were of many races but also were representative of many economic classes. Many were poor. Some arrived crammed in the backs of pickups, others by bus. John told me that a lot of parents could not afford the trip.
We in the audience were white and Native American. We were Hispanic, Arab and African American and Asian. We were former Marines wearing the scars of battle, or at least baseball caps emblazoned with battles' names. We were Southern whites from Nashville and skinheads from New Jersey, black kids from Cleveland wearing ghetto rags and white ex-cons with ham-hock forearms defaced by jailhouse tattoos. We would not have been mistaken for the educated and well-heeled parents gathered on the lawns of John's private school a half-year before.
After graduation one new Marine told John, "Before I was a Marine, if I had ever seen you on my block I would've probably killed you just because you were standing there." This was a serious statement from one of John's good friends, an African American ex-gang member from Detroit who, as John said, "would die for me now, just like I'd die for him."
My son has connected me to my country in a way that I was too selfish and insular to experience before. I feel closer to the waitress at our local diner than to some of my oldest friends. She has two sons in the Corps. They are facing the same dangers as my boy. When the guy who fixes my car asks me how John is doing, I know he means it. His younger brother is in the Navy.
Why were I and the other parents at my son's private school so surprised by his choice? During World War II, the sons and daughters of the most powerful and educated families did their bit. If the immorality of the Vietnam War was the only reason those lucky enough to go to college dodged the draft, why did we not encourage our children to volunteer for military service once that war was done?
Have we wealthy and educated Americans all become pacifists? Is the world a safe place? Or have we just gotten used to having somebody else defend us? What is the future of our democracy when the sons and daughters of the janitors at our elite universities are far more likely to be put in harm's way than are any of the students whose dorms their parents clean?
I feel shame because it took my son's joining the Marine Corps to make me take notice of who is defending me. I feel hope because perhaps my son is part of a future "greatest generation." As the storm clouds of war gather, at least I know that I can look the men and women in uniform in the eye. My son is one of them. He is the best I have to offer. He is my heart.
Frank Schaeffer is a writer. His latest book, co-written with his son, Marine Cpl. John Schaeffer, is "Keeping Faith: A Father-Son Story About Love and the United States Marine Corps."
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The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog
I have deep respect for anyone's sacrifice for our country but this fellow is either bieng over-dramatic on purpose, or is tragically ignorant of the deferments granted in the Vietnam War to college students, married couples, and rich folks sons who did not serve.
Quote:
Have we wealthy and educated Americans all become pacifists? Is the world a safe place? Or have we just gotten used to having somebody else defend us? What is the future of our democracy when the sons and daughters of the janitors at our elite universities are far more likely to be put in harm's way than are any of the students whose dorms their parents clean?
This quote is ignorant of military history. Dick Chenney was granted 5 deferments in Vietnam and is quoted as saying "I had prioroties other than war" as his reason for not serving.
Taz,
I wonder if the man you quote above is aware of Chenney's deferments and, if so, what he would say about Liberal vs. Conservative then? And we aon't even bring up Bush's combat dogery here.
Frost I do not know your background, but I will assume it is different then mine and also Frank Schaeffer the author of this. My background is I am the father of a Marine, the son of a veteran of WWII & Korea and a veteran myself. Mr. Schaeffers background was that of many liberals of this day, now he sees what the pacifist elite are not willing to pull thier weight for the most part in this country.
Frost whether he knew of Cheney's defermants or not has nothing to do with his feelings and I can assure you it has everything to do with the pride a father has in his son and his other fellow Marines.
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The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog
My point is that it does disservice to America, its vets, and the armed forces as a whole to paint this as a Liberal vs. Conservative issue. Chenney dodged the war an claims to be a conservative, Bush dodged combat and claims to be a conservative. Clinton dodged the war and is a liberal.
Your title "A liberal that Woke Up" implies its liberals who avoid service or oppose wars. Chenny's and Bush's war records show the wealthy & powerful conservatives avoid service as frequently as anyone else. Anyone who is "awake" can see that.
Taz, I am surprised that you imply here that a liberal has to "Wake Up" to feel the way the author of the piece feels. A lot of Democrats have and will die for this country. Republicans/conservatives have no monopoly on patriotism and or service to this country.
I don't need to be a father of a vet to know that.
hey frost ....take the story for what it is and get over it ........Nice post Taz
Amen to that! Great post, Taz. In an age in which the right and left are constantly at each other's throats, this illustrates the point that at the most basic level we're all Americans, and we all need to remember that to make our country even greater than it is right now.
hey frost ....take the story for what it is and get over it ........Nice post Taz
Amen to that! Great post, Taz. In an age in which the right and left are constantly at each other's throats, this illustrates the point that at the most basic level we're all Americans, and we all need to remember that to make our country even greater than it is right now.
The author of the piece never mentions Liberal/Conservative smear tactics and his point about service is well taken.
The Spin is in the made-up title and is inherently devisive in nature and takes away from the authors non-partisan message and tone.
A liberal that woke up!
