Comment of the day: Gold Star Father on how his views changed over 12 years

This ran as a comment a few days ago.
I think it is a powerful meditation on personal sacrifice
in public service. If you missed it then, read it now. If you read it then,
please do so again.

This subject goes to the heart of all I (now)
believe. I'm wrong to spit anger your way.

Brotherhood and respect for the Fallen are two
very romantic notions that I believe in fully, but I still question them. I'm
afraid these days that I question just about everything. My notions when I was
a young Midshipman are far from where I am now. Hell, I even voted for Ronald
Reagan twice. In my twenties, I quite enjoyed one year when I received 4 pay
raises: annual COLA, promotion to Captain, going over 4 years, and a Reagan
COLA kicker. I look at politics and economics differently now.

The profession that you are about to enter is an
honorable and, dare I say, very enjoyable one. But as you progress, you will
view things differently. Maybe you won't question things -- you state that you
will subjugate yourself to the government. But to subordinate yourself totally
and blindly to the actions of said government is to denigrate yourself. Hogwash
to think that everything your government does is the correct thing. If you so
believe that, you have lost all your undergrad education to wasted time.

I do not advocate government overthrow, but I do
plead for citizen and soldier participation in formulation of legal, moral and
honorable actions of the government. I won't preach to you about the sins of
the last decade. Whether the USA was correct or not in wars upon Iraq and
Afghanistan is yours for personal analysis.

I saw wrong when I stood at the upstream end of
TSA one day with tears in my eyes watching my son walk away never to be
seen alive by his mother and me again. Some in this forum say I wear my heart
on my sleeve, because of my personal loss, in my comments. No, my son's
signature is tattooed on my right bicep for all the symbology that is probably
obvious with that. My heart on my sleeve is for my country and our lost way
since 9/11/01.

I understand the essence of brotherhood -- I
served 7 years on active duty as a USMC officer. I hated the Iraq War, but
allowed pride of service to guide me as I watched my Marine son walk toward
combat. I understood that he had to follow orders; I would expect nothing less
of him. I didn't protest the war until he died, out of respect for him and
his platoonmates, many of whom I had already met and today treat like sons.
Afterwards, I took to the streets (literally) and joined the failed attempt to
stop the Iraq war. As it was, the war drifted off to some "honorable"
withdrawal, nearly 3,300 American KIA's after my son later. For what was it all
for I will continue to search and reflect until I die.

It was not foreseen in 1997, the year my son
enlisted, that the USA would be committing itself to multiple ground wars in
Islamic countries. I have in-laws who still spout shit: "He signed the
papers himself didn't he? He knew what he was getting into didn't he? He wasn't
drafted was he?" Superficially, these inane comments are true. But, in my
opinion, none of us signed up for Executive Branch stupidity. Blindly following
immorality is not service or courage, it is stupidity.

Politics, professional soldiering and parenting
ARE all pushed together. We live in that world. I hope you can incorporate that
notion in your future studies. Love is hard. Strange to see those two words in
the same sentence but it is true. And there is nothing selfish about demanding
that the country shows the same duty and honor and service as does the
soldier.