A Vet Reminds Us Of The Oath

One other area, besides the 2nd Amendment, that still brings out my most conservative side, is our Veterans. Their service entitles them to special consideration.
No matter what they might say or do after their service, they still deserve our recognition and respect.
They also often share an unclouded, non-partisan view of what is really going on. This young man gives us a real whopper.
Thanks,as always, to Iraq Veterans Against the War and to David. You guys are my heroes.

"Why did you join?!"
by David J. Kalbfleisch | Mon, 06/04/2007 - 11:30pm
I participated in Operation First Casualty 2 (NYC) two weekends ago, and it was an amazing experience. The response was overwhelmingly positive, especially in Brooklyn. A Muslim man in a park thanked me for speaking out, and several NYPD members thanked me for my service.

The best disapproving remark anyone could muster was, "Punks! Why did you enlist?!" As usual, this was coming from someone who obviously never served in the military and has only the marketing driven, overly romanticized view of what it was like.

Karl Rove must have been in the crowd.

I can't speak to why every member of IVAW joined the military. I can tell you that I joined for a few reasons, one of which was the often repeated "money for college." I could spend time expounding upon how the enlistment contract is a bait-and-switch and how the fine print reveals it isn't really a contract at all (the government reserves the right to change everything, and the enlistee has little recourse), but those things aren't even relavent. What the hecklers really need to understand isn't why we joined; they need to understand the oath we took.

The oath of enlistment affirms that the enlistee will support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and obey the orders of the President and officers appointed over them. That's the gist of it. But what is one to do when the President is a domestic enemy of the Constitution? Are you supposed to shut up and not say anything? That is what most IVAW members did while they were still in; now most (but not all) of us are out, and we are exercising our first ammendment rights while we still have them. For some history context, check out history.electdave.org.

As an officer, my oath was to defend the Constitution and execute the duties of my office to the best of my ability. It said nothing about blind loyalty to the President, and I don't mind saying that I think he is a war criminal who deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. While I was in, I stood my watches and juggled the paperwork to the best of my ability. I met my obligation. Now that I'm out, I'm trying to defend the Constitution as an IVAW member and Green Party candidate for Congress.

That's what the hecklers don't get. We all fulfilled our duties, and most of us were honorably discharged. When the people who fought the war are speaking out against it, instead of running your ignorant mouth, maybe you should listen. Having been out less than a year, I can tell you that many people, if not a majority, still in the military, do not agree with this war. They just aren't saying it on television. Yet.

I don't think they will ever get it, Dave, if they haven't by now.
This young man has his head on "right and tight". If you live in Illinois, maybe you can show a little support for this guy.
We need more young people like this to help us old fools get out of the mess we've made.
And if anybody wants to heckle a vet when I'm around, think twice. Remember what I said about the second amendment, I might be packin'.

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