I find in existence a new and heretofore unknown and dangerous
concept that the members of the armed forces owe their primary allegiance and
loyalty to those who temporarily exercise the authority of the executive branch
of the Government, rather than to the country and its Constitution they are
sworn to defend. No proposition could be more dangerous. ~ General Douglas
MacArthur
Does it matter how you
make a living? Those with a military mindset apparently don’t think it does.
I’ve written some
articles about the military over the course of the past few months:
Some of the comments I
received are so vile I cannot repeat them on this family-friendly website. Here
are some that I can print to help me get my point across:
“Those who willfully VOLUNTEER to ‘serve their country’ need no
sarcasm from you. Vets do NOT set policy, they do not decide which areas they
may serve, they do not control what they are asked to do and they have no
authority to walk away from assignments; in fact, doing so easily can land them
in a military prison.”
“The utility of going to war is a political issue, the
soldier/sailor/airman/marine doesn’t have the luxury of making that decision
after the President has issued orders via the chain of command.”
“The military member, by definition of the oath (s)he took upon
enlistment or receiving a commission, is bound by LAW to follow his orders,
even at the peril of his life. Never mind that when (s)he enlisted or was
commissioned, typically at a young and inexperienced age, there was no idea of
what engagements that member/officer would be involved in, and likely the
recruiter had no idea either.”
These comments are
really no different from comments I received in previous years when I wrote
about the military on a regular basis. I print some of them below (just as I
received them) that I have never made public before:
“The men and women with the boots on the ground have absolutely
no control.”
“Do not for one second think that everyone in the military
agrees with what we do. However, if the President has found a way to do justify
something then that’s we will do.”
Sir, I respectfully understand and appreciate your opposition to
war but please don’t confuse war with wariers. If they have to do it then
they should do it as well as they can. A soldier has little, if any choice in
the matter – ‘mine is not to reason why’. Please place blame squarely where it
belongs, with cowardly politicians who think nothing of spending a soldiers
life for a flawed philosophy. War is killing, a bloody horrible business that
ought to be a measure of last resort. Until the day comes when the politicians
fight the war themselves than soldiers will have to do it and they deserve our
measured respect and thanks for putting themselves on the line.
“I’ve already come to the conclusion that you’re a piece of
shit. If you’re old enough, I’ll bet you were also one of the ones
screaming ‘BABY KILLER’ at the soldiers who returned from Vietnam. Disagreeing
with and talking smack against the government leaders who send troops into wars
that you feel are unjust, fine. But to demean the military personnel who put
their asses and lives on the line, that goes clear over the top.”
This is madness.
The military mindset
thanks veterans for their service even though they didn’t provide any American
with any service.
The military mindset
believes that soldiers should unreservedly follow orders.
The military mindset
thanks military personnel for defending the country when they engage in offense
in other countries.
The military mindset
believes that soldiers are not responsible for the death and destruction they
cause even though they are the actual ones who mete out the death and
destruction.
The military mindset
believes that a just war is a war justified by the U.S. government.
The military mindset
believes that U.S. soldiers should fight “over there” even though there was no
chance that they would have to fight “over here.”
The military mindset
agrees that U.S. foreign policy is flawed, but then says that we shouldn’t
criticize American soldiers for carrying it out at the point of a gun.
The military mindset
believes that U.S. soldiers should be respected for putting their lives on the
line for us when we were never in any danger to begin with.
The military mindset
believes that the killing of innocent civilians who were no threat to Americans
is just collateral damage.
The military mindset
believes that politicians are cowards, but soldiers who kill with bombs from
40,000 feet are heroes.
This is madness.
For someone to take a
job where he could be sent anywhere to do anything and be expected to obey
orders and not be able to quit is rightly seen as madness. But put a military
uniform on someone and he is suddenly transformed into a hero. This too is
madness.
Laurence
M. Vance [send him mail] writes from
central Florida. He is the author of The War on Drugs
Is a War on Freedom; War,
Christianity, and the State: Essays on the Follies of Christian Militarism; War, Empire, and
the Military: Essays on the Follies of War and U.S. Foreign Policy; King James, His
Bible, and Its Translators, and many other books. His newest books
are Free Trade or
Protectionism? and The Free Society.