There’s a quote that I’ve always found unfortunately humorous – and accurate: “War is God's way of teaching Americans geography.” Besides geography, there’s another association I make with war – music.
I will always associate Garth Brooks’ “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places” with Desert Storm. It seemed like the Armed Forces Network (AFN) played it continuously. Then, there was a song from Phase Two of the Afghanistan Campaign. I enjoyed it so much that I intended to have it played at my retirement ceremony. It was just one of the many moving songs by Toby Keith -- a great American patriot.
Toby’s song is titled “My List” and is in the genre of Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle.” There’s something about being away from your wife and kids for a year at a time (except for a two-week R&R) that accentuates all the milestones you’re missing. A partial excerpt of the lyrics from “My List” follows:
Under an old brass paperweight is my list of things to do today,
Go to the bank and the hardware store, put a new lock on the cellar door.
I cross 'em off as I get 'em done but when the sun is set,
There's still more than a few things left I haven't got to yet…
Go for a walk, say a little prayer, take a deep breath of mountain air,
Put on my glove, play some catch, it's time that I make time for that.
Wade the shore, cast a line, look up a long lost friend of mine,
Sit on the porch and give my girl a kiss.
Start livin' that's the next thing on my list.
When talking with Soldiers concerned about their kids back home, I’d tell them two things. First, that I believed God would honor their sacrifice, and secondly, there is no better way to teach your children the importance of duty, honor and
loyalty than living it. After all, I’d remind them, it wasn’t like we were on a protracted fishing expedition or out playing golf. Nonetheless, it was obvious to all of us that we were missing a great deal. Since I was medically retired (after 35 years of service), I never did get to play that song at a ceremony. So what brought that song back to my mind now? It was an appointment with the VA last week. The doctor was asking me about my mental health and TBI. I told her that the toll multiple deployments exacts is bad, but what’s even worse is the insult of watching those hard fought for cities and provinces falling back into the hands of the enemy.
During the Cold War, I was in West Germany where we faced-off with the Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact. We were trained to know that Russia could not be trusted. To watch them now walk into Ukraine virtually unopposed is exasperating. To watch them align themselves with Iran, Iraq and Syria, move their forces into the Middle East, and then bomb our allies is sickening.
Driving home from the VA hospital that day, my blood was beginning to boil. Not like the pressure cooker used by the Boston bombers, but more like a cauldron – boiling because of a belief that our government is making it mighty comfortable for our enemies and not adequately aiding our allies. And that’s when the idea of a “list” came clearly to mind. Only this list is not of things I want to do – this list is for our current Commander-in-Chief to check-off.
Mr. Obama – please put this under a paperweight:
-- You owe Mitt Romney an apology. When he told you in the debate about Russia, “This is without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe. They fight for every cause for the world’s worst actors.” You arrogantly mocked him, “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War’s been over for 20 years.” Sadly, Romney was past right.
-- You owe the 4,491 US Gold Star families and the 32,226 American wounded from Iraq an apology. Not because you started the war, but because you lost the war. You failed to heed the advice of your military commanders and leave a residual force.
-- You owe the families of the Benghazi four and the video maker you blamed it on (and later arrested) an apology.
-- You owe our children an apology for the Trillions in debt you’ve amassed.I could go on, but I’ve got to go play catch.
This column appears in The Upson Beacon, 14 OCT 2015 published in Upson County, GA.
Worst of all, this song SUCKS. Second, I Knew where Afghanistan Was before I signed up. I signed up because I Believed that the women an children of that country deserved better than being enslaved by the Taliban. To say that " “War is God's way of teaching Americans geography.” is not only Derogatory to Americans, to ME as a soldier, it's Inaccurate and perpetuates a harmful, horrible stereotype that All Americans are Ignorant, gun wielding, murderous and uneducated backwoods idiots. Secondly, I'm an Pagan. I'm a PAGAN Paratrooper and soldier in the U.S Military who fought for the Rights of Women in a foreign country because I believed in their Right to freedom. And you boldly state MUSIC is the Reason to Fight War? Not just Music...BAD music. Not the Rights and Freedom of MILLIONS of Women and Children from Poverty, Slavery, Sexual Abuse and Rape...Music. And because _I_ didn't know where Afghanistan was before I joined. I don't argue your points about Obama....But Please... Stop. Stop denigrating the Reasons for This War. Stop pushing your Christian agenda in a country founded on Religious Freedom. Stop perpetuating the idea that American Soldiers are Ignorant Idiots who didn't know what, Where and Who we were fighting before we got there. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteDude - get some counseling or meds - you're having a reaction. You may be allergic to God.
DeleteFirst - The quote about "geography" was written by a journalist, satirist, and former Soldier in the late 1800s. His name was Ambrose Bierce. At the outset of the American Civil War, Bierce enlisted in the Union Army's 9th Indiana Infantry Regiment. He participated in the Operations in Western Virginia campaign (1861), was present at the "first battle" at Philippi and received newspaper attention for his daring rescue, under fire, of a gravely wounded comrade at the Battle of Rich Mountain. In February 1862 he was commissioned a first lieutenant, and served on the staff of General William Babcock Hazen as a topographical engineer, making maps of likely battlefields.
Bierce fought at the Battle of Shiloh (April 1862), a terrifying experience that became a source for several later short stories and the memoir "What I Saw of Shiloh". In June 1864, he sustained a serious head wound at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, and spent the rest of the summer on furlough, returning to active duty in September. He was discharged from the army in January 1865
He gets the right to say what he wants - even so, consider for a moment he may have been trying to make a point - e.g. "From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" (The USMC Hymn).
Second - Regarding the ignorance of modern day Americans: "A poll conducted by the National Geographic showed that 47 percent of Americans ages 18 to 34 could not identify India on a world map. The study revealed a shocking lack of geographical knowledge among Americans. Six in ten individuals in the same age range failed to identify Iraq on a map, while around one half could not find Mississippi on a map of their own country. Studies have repeatedly shown Europeans easily pointing out states in the U.S., while the youth in America simply cannot seem to find Texas. Americans today have become geographically uneducated, causing a lack of global perspective in the younger generations." - See more at: http://presentationvoice.com/all-posts/news/world/2011/03/16/americans-lack-of-geographical-knowledge/#sthash.1DAlwZD1.dpuf
I'm glad you're a paratrooper - I had 16 years on Jump Status - 14 as a jumpmaster (and four broken vertebrae). I pinned my (novice) wings on my son's chest.
The reason we serve is to support and defend the Constitution (against all enemies).. The First Amendment of which says I have religious freedom too. By the way, when you concluded taking your oath, you said, "So help me God," I think that is what He is trying to do now.
Your comment does a better job of "perpetuating the idea that American Soldiers are Ignorant" than I could ever hope to. But seriously, you are missing the point entirely. "Music is the reason to fight war?" Like the good COL Weeks said below - I simply associate certain songs with certain time frames - reread it - I think you'll see that.
I am very glad that you recognize the points about Obama. Here's a test about the ignorance of Americans - he was reelected -- what does that tell you?
So we can end on common ground - as far as the one billion Muslims are concerned -- you and I are both infidels.
Be blessed brother!
Hey Pagan Paratrooper; here's a thought. How about you actually READ what COL Young had to say and not try to put words in his mouth. He never said (or boldly stated) that music is a reason to go to war. He merely associated a particular song with one of his deployments. Hyperbole like you spewed above is one of the many reasons this country is divided as it is. And in case you missed it, the concept of Religious Freedom our great nation was founded on is precisely what provides the good Colonel the ability to freely proclaim his thoughts (and for you, just as freely, to ignore). It is freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joel - wow.
DeleteWell said, Joel.
DeleteThere is a growing capacity in America today to be willfully ignorant of what we are all about as a nation. Where do we get our sense of right and wrong? In my Naval Career, mandatory Core Values Training required a recognition that our moral principles "derive from a spiritual heritage." Moral standards are not created in a vacuum. After all, who says that the cruel dominance of the Taliban is wrong? Is the "survival of the fittest" paradigm the godless template that defines us, or is there a God-ordained Scriptural point of view which America deemed to be "self-evident" which actually taught us as a fledgling nation that "all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights," values that were not to be confiscated by paganism or politics?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Colonel, for the voice of reason in the midst of a growing, irrational anger against God, forgetting that He is the Source of the blessings we enjoy as a nation. It seems that some history lessons are in order that have not been tampered with by the atheistic historical revisionists of our day. We have no moral compass to direct the affairs of our government without the continuing aid of the God who has protected, prospered, and blessed this nation so graciously. President Abraham Lincoln rightly admonished this nation regarding our misguided arrogance in a time of national crisis, putting his finger on the problem with four well-chosen words: "We have forgotten God." That is a very costly case of amnesia. "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).