of our citizens actually serve in combat.
I am very conflicted about this. I do understand that in WWII, and perhaps also in the Korean War, the draft grabbed almost everyone. Since then, not so much.
I am the mother of two grown sons, now ages 25 and 29. I have felt very strongly for quite a while now that the military may not have them as cannon fodder. I realize that my sons are no more precious to me than are any sons to their mothers. I also understand that we personally have resources (such as relatives in Canada) that many others do not have. And I also understand that serving in our military is a very proud and patriotic aspect of the lives of a certain subset of our population. I do not consider myself any less patriotic than those people. But I am not willing to sacrifice MY sons in the stupid wars we've been waging in recent years.
I cannot begin to imagine what it is like to lose a child to combat. Nor can I imagine what it is like to come home maimed. I am in awe of those who deal with those things. For all my personal intention to keep my sons out of combat, I also understand that veterans are absolutely crucial to our country's understanding of war.
Another side note. I have three brothers. The two youngest never served. My oldest brother enlisted in the military and was inducted on August 22, 1961, shortly after the Berlin Wall went up. He wound up being stationed in Berlin for about two years, and I can recall very distinctly his saying at some point that he was very glad he'd been posted there, rather than in Southeast Asia.
I think, because of my age and location in history, I have a strong resistance to military service. I used to read old Life Magazines, starting with the first issue which was in November, 1936. As a consequence, it's as if I remember the events of the late 1930's through WWII. It was not until I got partway through WWII in those Life Magazines that I fully understood why the older generation were so appalled at the anti-war demonstrations against the war in Vietnam by my generation. It really matters when you come of age.
= new reply since forum marked as read
