Sometimes, It's OK To Butt In
Last week, I was one of the chief directors for SuperNationals IV (which puts the national high school, junior high and elementary chess championships under one roof). This year's event was held in Nashville, Tennessee. 5300 kids and three days later, I know why Valium was invented...but that's another story for another day.
Between preparing for that event, work, giving my son T-ball and chess lessons, and preparing for my GMAT exam, something had to give. For now, that thing has been blogging, and the site appears to be much the better for it.
However, I've been wanting to share a story about something I encountered while flying from Atlanta to Nashville. I sat next to a soldier, in full camo, who was returning home from his second tour of duty in Iraq. We exchanged pleasantries; I shook his hand and thanked him for his service. Not wanting to bother him further, I then listened to my iPod for the rest of the flight.
When I got to the baggage claim area at Nashville International, there was a woman waiting there with her daughter, who couldn't have been any more than seven. When the soldier got to the claim area, the daughter lit up like a Christmas tree and barreled into him, knocking his duffel bag out of his hand. Or maybe he dropped it to pick her up. No matter.
He walked over to the woman, and they kissed. Then he kissed the girl again. Then he kissed the wife again. Then they all stood in a tight circle and hugged each other. What passed as seconds to me certainly felt like days to them.
I'm sure many of you - especially those readers who have family or close friends in the military - have seen this scene often. However, it was the first time in my 35 years that I've been sufficiently privileged to watch such a reunion live. And, as much as I wanted to turn away, I couldn't stop staring and smiling.
Eventually, the daughter turned and noticed me looking at them. Her face was still wet from crying. She took a few steps toward me and, in her unmistakable Tennessee accent, said, "Mister, why are you smiling at us?"
I walked a little closer and said, "You missed your dad, huh?" She nodded so hard I was afraid she might dislodge her head.
"Are you glad he's home?" Another 9.8-Richter nod was my reply.
"Well, I'm glad he's home too. And I'm grateful for his work. That's why I'm smiling."
The soldier scooped her up, walked over with his wife and little girl, and thanked me for what I'd said to his daughter. I apologized for being so ill-mannered as to intrude in their happy reunion, wished them all the very best, and started to walk back to my staked-out spot at the baggage carousel.
The girl pulled her face out of her dad's shoulder and said, "Mister!"
When I turned, she said, "Sometimes, it's OK to butt in." For the first time since my high school girlfriend asked me out, I was rendered speechless. I just walked away with a giant smile plastered on my face.
War has its human costs. We hear about them on the nightly news, and read about them in places such as these. And the people who raise the many spectres of that cost are completely correct to do so. For me, though, it was so good to see one of our servicemen be rewarded with something that I have come to take for granted - the joy of coming home after doing a difficult job under trying circumstances.
For once, the human cost exacted from those who wait for their heroes to come back to them was repaid. I still feel blessed and utterly humbled to have borne witness to that repayment.
Boyd,
So glad you shared this with us. You delivered a wonderful visual with your words.
I believe that fixing our Veteran's issues (programs, healthcare, wages, supplies, family resources, etc.) is as important as fixing our economy. I know the economy must come first but we should be ensuring our veteran's (and their families) well-being and livelihoods is a top priority too.
I want it highlighted on every MSM, blog and media outlet. We need to do better, so much better.
I want to ask and I want them to tell! The truth about what they need and what we need to do to show them the care and respect they deserve.
Thanks so much for this reminder, it was so needed.
April 10, 2009 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Really nicely written Boyd--as always. but the description put me right at the airport.
Great Post.!!!!
April 10, 2009 9:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with what aunt sam said but also want to say that a lot of times saying thank you means a lot to them also they put so much on the line so we can be free great blog
April 10, 2009 9:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice anecdote, and well told Boyd.
April 10, 2009 9:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
With excuses to the poster here for intruding. I'm not sure how to get this done without asking a question of miguelitoh here. He has no post of his own that I see. Thinking about your comments, isn't there a way on the internet to be notified when someone posts? Didn't I see something like that at dagblog? There's someone I'd like to follow there. I could respond to a post on my own site then if I felt I had something to say. That fits my sense of people picking and choosing what they want to see without entering a realm where they'd rather not be. Everyone avoids their own hostilities, whatever those might be.
April 11, 2009 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Jocko. Don't ask for logic. Not part of what the internet is about.
He doesn't care. I don't care. You shouldn't care. Look up WTF.
That's why people come here. Welcome to the internet Jocko.
April 11, 2009 10:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is no specific method for such on the Internet at large.
Many sites used to implement their own systems, but recently feeds, usually Atom and/or RSS, have been consolidating the mechanism. The feeds are in a structured format (XML), and they can be read by various clients
For example, up toward the right next to Mr. Reed's user icon, you see a little orange icon with a radio-wave simile, and a link titled Posts next to it. The orange icon denotes a feed, although it is only a convention, not mandatory. If you were to just click on the link in your browser, you may be able to directly "subscribe" to the feed, or if your web browser does not support it, some mostly non-formatted text describing the feed.
"Subscribing", whether through your browser or a separate client, allows that tool to poll the feed and retrieve all new items in it, effectively notifying you if something has occurred.
There are many sophisticated (and even more just bloated and cluttered) feed readers. To start with, I would probably just recommend using Firefox and getting one of the integrated feed readers from http://addons.mozilla.org. If you want something on the desktop, you may want to search for "rss reader", NetNewsWire is a decent one on Mac. There are also sites, like http://del.icio.us, that allow you to subscribe online (so you only have to check one place).
So, to summarise: in order to be notified, you have to know what to look for and subscribe to it. If no feeds are provided, you may just have to do it the old-fashioned way.
(Many blogs also offer a stupidly named featured called Trackback--it allows you to write a post on your own site, and a notification of that appears on the original page, but overall it is a bit iffy).
April 11, 2009 10:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Beautiful.
April 10, 2009 10:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, that little girl rawked.
=D
April 10, 2009 10:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Boyd Reed speechless? I am shocked.
I kept reading this blog waiting for you to tell the little girl that President Bush is a murderer and Iraq is an unjustified war that is wasting money and lives.
Or did you just giver her the TPM website so she can read it for herself?
April 11, 2009 12:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
The blog had NOTHING to do with whether the Iraq War was justified. It had NOTHING to do with Bush, Obama or any other President.
Of course, you specialize in being an obtuse constructor of fallacies and strawmen because you either (A) have no experiences of your own worth sharing, or (B) don't possess the ability to communicate what few original thoughts you may have in a blog of your own.
I'd ask you to not read or post on my blogs again, but I know this would probably drive you, in some state of perversion, to do exactly that.
So, you win. I am tired enough of you and your ilk that I'll just permanently stop posting. Morons like you make the whole exercise not worth the angst.
One down. A few hundred to go. Good luck to you.
April 11, 2009 12:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please tell me you are just being snarky, Boyd...don't punish the rest of us just because there are some jerks here.
Loved the story, and I'm ALWAYS interested in what is on your mind!
April 11, 2009 12:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh no, Boyd
Please don't stop blogging.
April 11, 2009 12:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
I try to treat this kind of thing like you would if a severely mentally handicapped person came up to you on the street and said something offensive. In the end you've got to consider the source and let it roll off your back. Or you can shoot the fish in the barrel. Your call Boyd. ;)
April 11, 2009 12:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Your blog is related to Iraq. I find it interesting that you have sympathy for a daughter of a soldier when at the same time you write on a public forum that you're "tired of the years, lives and money wasted in Iraq". Too bad you didn't have a print-out of that blog which you could have shared with that girl.
April 11, 2009 6:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Man I hate this... You're an idiot MCB. 'Nuff said...
April 11, 2009 7:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
This needs to be written - if for no other reason than to make it clear that your "arguments" have no merit in any place other than the exceedingly large space which your brain occupies.
I can live with honest disagreements. What I can't live with is trying to discuss reasonably complex concepts with people like you, who don't possess the mental dexterity to go from here to there without a crayon map and a couple of Boy Scout guides.
There is no hypocrisy in thanking a soldier for his service while simultaneously excoriating the military action in which he served.
The blog is, at best, tangentially related to the nation of Iraq. Delete the single reference to the country, and the blog's main point is completely unchanged.
You exhibit the same tiresome prolixity and want of inventiveness in every one of your "discussions" on this site. Your "arguments", from first to last, are unremarkable except for their unwavering factual inaccuracy and logical deficiency.
I'm just tired of dealing with plankton such as you. Perhaps one day, you'll just go to RedState and stop infesting TPM. Might increase the average IQ of both sites.
April 11, 2009 8:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Boyd. Fly the flag. Really. I'm with you on this. It's a crying shame when people who haven't been in the forces or had family there can't really support the troops.
April 11, 2009 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sorry - I misinterpreted your compassion for the little girl and proclaiming that the Iraq war is a waste of lives/money as being two inconsistent messages.
In my opinion, someone who truly cares about the military family would not be publicly proclaiming that their father's/husband's efforts are in vain.
April 11, 2009 8:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really do not understand why you cannot understand the difference between supporting the troops and supporting the war. Our soldier's contributions need to be valued. They don't get to chose which wars to go to, who to kill. They are there to protect us in whatever fashion our elected officials deem necessary.
How utterly ridiculous would it be to say to the military "Okay, we're going to war w/ (fill in the blank.) All of you who agree with this decision will be deployed tomorrow. Those who don't, get to stay home."
The price these people and their families pay is so high, there is no way to repay it in money (no $10 million golden parachutes for them!) Taking the time to say thank you is the very least we can do. I make it a point to do so every time I see a person in uniform, and have several times slipped a $20 to a young soldier in an airport so he/she can buy lunch on me.
April 11, 2009 1:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not asking people here to support the war. I'm asking people here to stop bashing the war.
How do you think it feels for these families to hear people saying that "Bush is a murderer" and that Iraq is a waste of money and lives?
April 11, 2009 9:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can't answer that question, as I don't know anyone who has seen combat over there. I suspect that most in our armed forces know that we got into that war under false pretenses, and I would imagine they are pretty pissed off about that.
The main difference between this war and Vietnam is that most of us seem to have learned our lesson about separating the war from the warriors.
But it is our duty to speak out against wars that we think are unjust. I think as long as we continue to support the troops while we urge our leaders to reconsider, the troops will understand. Deanie might be a better person to ask.
All that aside, Boyd told a touching story, and this blog was not the proper place to bash his feelings about the war. Just my opinion...
April 11, 2009 11:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
"I suspect that most in our armed forces know that we got into that war under false pretenses, and I would imagine they are pretty pissed off about that."
I'm surprised that you don't know a single person out of the thousands that have served. But regardless, if that's what you really believe, that they are "pissed off" about the "false pretenses" then you have that right to your opinion. But I would sincerely disagree. And my neighbor's kid who died in Iraq also disagreed before he died. As would the half dozen other people I've met over the years.
For these people, "false pretenses" does not equate with being lied to or fighting against a manufactured enemy. These people believe that the decision to fight in Iraq was based on the best information we had at the time the decision was made. They are not "pissed off" like you claim.
April 12, 2009 1:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am not "claiming" they are pissed. I said I "would imagine" they are pissed. As I mentioned down thread, my son was in the Army, and got out after 6 years, just before his unit deployed to Iraq. He barely missed going to Afghanistan, and would have had he not changed his MOS when he reenlisted. At the time, I understood that I might be one of the moms called on to sacrifice her son.
Had my son died, been maimed, or come back with a case of debilitating PTSD and then we found out the whole war was based on a bunch of lies, I would be beyond pissed. Keep in mind, WE thought it was the best info at the time (or at least I got sucked into believing it), they KNEW it was a pack of lies. Yeah, pissed doesn't even come CLOSE to describing how I would feel.
April 12, 2009 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Many people (including myself) don't share your view that the war was based on a bunch of Bush lies.
April 12, 2009 11:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please tell me you are kidding...
April 12, 2009 5:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Stilli -
Breathe. Walk away. 'Just for Today'. Enjoy Easter Sunday.
(Thanks for passing on to WS for me.)
April 12, 2009 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would not kid about something this serious. I don't believe anyone lied about Iraq. And I know a lot of others that feel the same way. There were many third-party sources for years prior to 2003 saying that there was a possible link between Iraq and al-Qaeda. You can read about it in Newsweek or hear it on NPR.
Since your son was in the Army there must be plenty of his friends that are or were over in Iraq. Rather than speak in hypotheticals with me why don't you ask some of them?
April 12, 2009 7:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Boyd, I thought I had already done this, but my pc probably crashed before submission.
I hereby award you my Knightly Blog of the Day Award for this here TPMC site, given to all of you from all of me.
Really a fine personal story written in a larger context.
April 11, 2009 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
boyd dont let him win. this is the first one of your blogs I've read and its great. I would really like to read more of them.
to middleclassbill
just becouse the war is unjust and wrong which I believe to be true doesn't mean we shouldnt support our troops they have no say so in where they are sent they have to do there job. Do you know what the punishment for going awol is in the militaryduring war.Well its life in prison or execution. I support our troops one hundred and one percent.
April 11, 2009 6:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey there middleclassdingleberry:
There is nothing wrong with being a warrior and hating the war.
And there is nothing wrong with a liberal thanking a service member for their sacrifice.
When I came home, my wife brought a friend. The friend just had her lover deported to Syria because his Visa expired. With one hand the Lord giveth and with the other she taketh away. Our reunion made her sorrow a little lighter.
But you wouldn't understand anything so complicated and full of nuance as actual human life. It's all politics and rhetoric to you, and it disgusts me that creeps like you pretend to know the first thing about a soldier's life. I pray that the next Armistice poppy you buy is from a liberal like me who fought for our country.
April 11, 2009 12:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know enough people who have served in Iraq and a few that have died there. If I didn't know anyone who served, then I wouldn't be so irate when I read the garbage that Boyd writes. It is incredibly hypocritical for Boyd to express compassion for a servicemen or his family when at the same time Boyd is blogging that Iraq was not justified and a waste of money and lives.
The servicemen and families that I know all wish that this type of Iraq bashing would stop. It is terrible for morale.
April 11, 2009 6:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
It is possible to hate the tree without disrespecting the fruit.
April 11, 2009 7:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Depends - you have a choice to shake the tree in your own backyard where no one can see you or you can shake the tree in front of the Town Hall on Main Street where everybody gets to see what you're doing
April 11, 2009 7:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I have to side with HedgeFundBill here.
I show my love to all my dearest friends by sending them to be shot and/or blown up for no good reason. It especially heartens me to see how good this is for the morale of the spouses, parents, children and other friends of the dead and the maimed.
April 11, 2009 10:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please show your love for yourself then, by the same means.
Such comments add nothing to the discussion and serve to reinforce low-class scum like "Bill" in his seemingly universal animosity.
April 11, 2009 12:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
You want to give that another go?
April 11, 2009 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
See my earlier reply to you below. And make sure it's slow and painful.
April 11, 2009 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
BS. That is all. I wash my hands of you.
April 11, 2009 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
You've explicated my lack of intelligence on any number of topics so I figured I was immune. But you've proven me wrong again.
I'm not sure what you figured you'd gain with this empty rhetorical slam. You seem reasonably intelligent, so I'll continue to believe you're not this shallow, insensitive and profoundly ignorant in real life. But you've debased anything of value you might have brought to this community.
Thanks, man. Maybe you've done us all a service. Now go home.
April 11, 2009 1:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
P.S. You make a difference, Boyd. Rock on, my brother.
April 11, 2009 1:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Rather than re-type, see my reply to zipperupus
April 11, 2009 6:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Rather than retyping, see my reply to you above MCB.
April 11, 2009 8:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
That the Iraq war is a wasted effort of both lives and money is hardly in doubt. Just about ever war has been mostly a waste of lives and money.
Your inability to connect on a human level with people you may not agree is the real tragedy of this comment. Is this really the best you can do to advance the conversation in this country? Your continued parody of a true conservative continues to do more harm to the GOP than good.
Why not just do us all a favor and lose your keyboard.
April 11, 2009 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
How do you think service members and their families feel when they read on websites like TPM that the war is a waste of lives and money?
April 11, 2009 9:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since many military families agree, I would say they react with a variation on the thought, "At least we aren't the only Americans who see this war as a failed policy in need of drastic overhaul."
April 12, 2009 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Like I said earlier, of the families that I know and have met, very few take the position that the war was something we were lied into.
April 12, 2009 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I probably know an equal number of military families who feel the exact opposite, but that doesn't change the fashion with which they do their job or endure the hardship it causes. This isn't a zero sum issue.
April 13, 2009 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
FOAD, asshole.
April 11, 2009 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Great blog, Boyd. I'm a huge fan of your writing, so I hope you keep on keeping on!!
:0)
April 11, 2009 5:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Boyd, I am so glad you shared that experience here. For most of us these wars are not a part of our days; we don't even see anything about them on news coverage. Maybe a reporter standing in front of a Bagdhad hotel giving us the latest numbers dead or injured in a car bombing, but no footage like we saw in the Vietnam coverage.
I believe it was that very coverage (and the fact that the draft made serving there a threat to all but the truly protected - such as the Bush's and Cheney's et al) that ultimately brought Americans to the streets to protest that waste of a war. Your humanizing story brings it home to all of us here. Thank you.
Hey, MCB, Bush IS a murderer, a torturer, AND a war criminal - but even I wouldn't say that to a little girl welcoming her hero father home from Bush's wasteful and criminal war.
April 11, 2009 8:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Doesn't matter if you say it directly to her. You're saying it on here. If you had any compassion for our troops or their families you wouldn't be on here proclaiming that they are dying in a war that Bush fabricated.
April 11, 2009 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Boyd -- your arguments are flawless, you write like a dream, you see the big picture as well as the smallest detail that humanizes our experience.... your humor is subtle....and you encourage others. In other words, Boyd, you are a sane, balanced being. So. You cannot go. Period end. Full stop on both flee and fleas, please.
April 11, 2009 9:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Boyd: Thank you for this story. I have a stepson in Afghanistan right now, 2nd deployment. Even he hates the war in Iraq. Your tale makes the important point that you don't confuse the warrior with the war. It was generous of that family to share their experience with you, and as a military family, we don't mind. Our troops deserve everything we can give them despite how much we might hate the "cause" they are risking their lives for.
April 11, 2009 10:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Didn't expect to get choked up this morning. Loved the blog, loved the sentiment. TPM has not been better or worse in your absence, but certainly missing posts like this one. Welcome back, Boyd!
April 11, 2009 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
I read the spat between Boyd and MilddleClassBill and it touches something that is very important to me for personal reasons.
Boyd and others are saying that there is no hypocrisy in thanking a soldier for the service while simultaneously excoriating the military action in which he served.
We instituted volunteer military here in 1970s in response to Vietnam era and involuntary conscription is usually considered a form of subjugation and even servitutde in context of UN declaration on human rights.
Volunteer service, then, means that you make a free choice to enlist and that you voluntarily accept that you may have to participate in an unjust war.
I'm struggling with how much I can separate the warrior from the war when I know that the warrior volunteerd to "follow orders" and to participate in what may be an unjust war.
What am I missing?
April 11, 2009 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
All the nuance and most of the subtly.
April 11, 2009 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for butting in with all the nuance and a bit of subtlety.
April 11, 2009 11:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't you mean "nuisance"?
April 11, 2009 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
For some people, the military is their only way up and out of poverty or places of little opportunity. It's a good career choice, and yes, every soldier, sailor, or airman knows that he or she could go into battle. But you are missing some things. First the Guard and Reserve have never been pulled so hard and for so long into combat. So, many people signing up, especially before 2002, didn't anticipate that this would be their fate. As for my stepson, he was accepted into West Point in the spring of his senior year in high school--2001. We were not at war with anyone at that point. Despite my pleas for him to transfer after we invaded Iraq, he felt he had made a commitment and had to honor it. He is now honoring that commitment in Kabul. You need to understand that many people signed up to go after the Taliban and Al Quaeda in Afghanistan. The fact that they, and most of their resources got diverted to Iraq was a political decision that has prolonged their commitments and killed and wounded too many. Life isn't as black and white as you seem to think it is.
April 11, 2009 12:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just so. Well stated Kate.
April 11, 2009 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly right.
April 11, 2009 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Kate - yes, I agree with you about unexpected hardship and duration of deployment and anybody who is half decent would only have sympathy for that. I also agree that when someone enlists, they probably do it with an assumption that the Government is not going to engage in a war that is unjust.
But it still doesn't resolve the moral dilemma: a committment to a government is more important that the people who get caught up and die in an unjust war.
April 11, 2009 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
That is just the kind of commitment the Bushites counted on. Note, however, it is not the kind of commitment they THEMSELVES ever had.
Our military deserve to be sent into war as a last resort; and not for false reasons. That they have been abused is not their fault.
April 11, 2009 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, we can always blame a particular war on a particular president and walk away admiring our righteousness. Every time it happens.
April 11, 2009 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Above you said this was important to you for personal reasons. Maybe if you explained them, your point would be clearer. I just don't understand what your dilemma is.
April 11, 2009 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
.
Hmmmm . . .
Lalo doesn't answer questions?
Apparently Lalo either doesn't clearly understand what the dilemma is, or there is no dilemma because there may not be any personal reason behind the horse crap that Lalo is fairly adept at spouting.
~OGD~
April 16, 2009 12:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lalo, are you saying that the Iraq war is not on the shoulders of the Bush administration? They told the weapons inspectors to get out of Iraq so that they could attack because Iraq had the very weapons the inspectors were NOT finding (because they didn't exist). Whether someone agrees or not with the war, there is little doubt in anyone's mind that if Al Gore had been President this particular war would never have happened. If I had lost a loved one, that knowledge would haunt me even more than it does as a person who has been relatively untouched on a personal level by this war.
Do you disagree with that? How is that acknowledgement being "righteous?"
April 11, 2009 3:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course it is and it's going to be a black spot in our history forever. But it's not the only war US government fought that can be described as unjust. And unless our military and foreign policy changes, it will not be the last.
And so far, I haven't seen any indication that the Obama policies will stop putting people into a dilemma of keeping committment to the government or fighting and killing people because some guy who got himself elected thought it worthwhile.
April 11, 2009 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe, the point of this blog is that people ARE more important, lalo.
Surely it isn't difficult to ascertain the difference here. AIG destroyed out financial system, would I be upset with a person that answered telephones for AIG?
Of course not.
You and Middle Class Bill are falsely equivocating the whole and it's parts. Most of us realize that as a failed debate topic. It doesn't stand up to any logical examination.
April 11, 2009 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nicely done, Boyd - and that kid is going to grow up to be a good adult, unless she runs into too may "Bill the No Classholes" along the way.
April 11, 2009 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know which is better: the original post or Boyd's dressing-down of MiddleClassBill. Both are equally well-written. With good writing, an author's contradictions are usually forgiven in a reader's mind.
I think MiddleClassBill and Lalo make valid points worth considering. I have thought about my own opposition to the war and then I imagined myself on the airplane in Boyd's place. Interesting conundrum.
I think the role of father, not political blogger, was what made Boyd notice and react to the scene at the baggage claim. And that may be why he defends his blog so eloquently.
April 11, 2009 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I volunteered after the Iraq occupation began. I volunteered knowing full well that I would end up serving in Iraq, even though I disagreed with the occupation. And the President.
I had and have my reasons. Economics were a consideration. For me and many like me, poverty can be a quiet draft, especially if you already have a family. But there is a bigger reason, and it is the more important one.
Service. I wanted to serve my country with duty and love NO MATTER WHAT or who was in charge. Service isn't supposed to be selective. You either commit to serve or you don't. If you are a social worker, you can't control who walks in the door. They need your guidance. If you are a priest, you can't refuse a confession. They need your forgiveness. If you are a warrior, you can't determine your battles. The government needs your strength.
It is more than politics. I needed to be of service and have my government train me and put me to use. In fact, my lack of illusions helped. I didn't have any poetic sensibilities for the war to crush. No rah rah patriotism for the reality of war to shred.
Duty transcends politics. I hope some of you understand.
April 11, 2009 1:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I understand completely, and I honor you and thank you. Even as I sit here crying and missing my son, I am proud of him beyond words. Thank you for your sense of duty.
April 11, 2009 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Very well said in my opinion.
I immediately went to see if you had ever expanded on this theme at TPM and found only one item titled “Diamond in the Rough” that was germane. By any chance have you blogged elsewhere on this topic? I would be most interested in the details of your point of view. The balance you seem to have found between your public duty and your personal values is the antidote for hubris and would make a fascinating discussion, at least for me. It is not an easy topic and I would anticipate a lively debate, unpleasant even but perhaps helpful.
April 11, 2009 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I haven't done too much more of blogging in that vein. The primaries distracted me because I was in Iraq during the majority of the silly season and I needed the distraction. Now that I am home, I have had some difficulties adjusting to garrison life. Most of my feelings and judgments are coming out in the novel I am working on.
One of stronger maladaptations is the frustration I feel with being misunderstood. Too much of the blogosphere perceives reality through ideological blinders. There is a lack of history and empathy that makes me angry. It's all politics and gamesmanship. MCB's trolling here riles me to no end because it lacks awareness. Many boys and girls are born to fight. We don't choose the times we live in through which to fight. Without the Marine Corps I would be in jail because I am a fighter. I needed training and discipline in order to be a man... Father, husband, lover, writer... All of it.
I will write from a military perspective more often as I adjust more fully to the real world. I promise.
April 11, 2009 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is no hurry. Life is long enough. I just sensed from the way you articulated your comment that you have found the gravamen of this matter. It is a journey of discovery and I think there will be some surprises at least there were for me.
I wouldn’t be too hard on MCB. In a way he is doing you a favor by presenting a paradigmatic example of hubris, the lack of a sense of balance among competing moral imperatives. Before (probably) you and he were born, others like me and other MCB’s were having this same dispute over a different war and a different set of competing moral obligations. But it goes back a lot farther than that. For example:
“Nothing does more harm to the state than a tyrant; when he rules, equal application of law comes to an end, the one man is tyrant, and he keeps unto himself and in secrecy the law, and so perishes justice. But when the laws are written down, rich and poor alike have equal justice, and it is open to the weaker to use the same language to the prosperous when he is reviled by him, and the weaker prevails over the stronger if he have justice on his side. Freedom’s mark is also seen in this: “Let any man possessed of wisdom give counsel to the state.” And he who comes forward and counsels well, gains renown, while he, who has no wish, holds his silence. What greater equality can there be in a state? Again, where the people are absolute rulers of the land, they rejoice in having the openness and exuberance of youth, while a tyrant counts this a danger, and seeks to slay or silence those possessed of spirit, while the discreet fear his power and violence.”
–Euripides, The Suppliants, lines 429-40
April 11, 2009 3:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
=D
Nothing pretentious or pompus 'bout dat.
April 11, 2009 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Zip, my son found his niche in the Army. Up until the time he enlisted he was headed nowhere fast. The Army took a boy with good values, but no direction and made him into a man I am extremely proud of. After 6 years in the Army he let his wife make the decision whether they would be lifers or get out, and she opted out. Otherwise, he would still be in, war or no war. He loves the Army to this day.
He left right before his unit got deployed to Iraq. I will always remember seeing him looking at pictures one his buddies e-mailed him from Iraq. He looked at me with tears in his eyes, this big, strong soldier, and said, "Mom, I should be there with my boys..."
You soldiers are a special breed...I respect you tremendously.
April 11, 2009 11:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can only simply say, with respect and awe for your service and awareness, I appreciate and honor your service.
(And I so enjoy and learn from your contributions here.)
April 11, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
I purchased a bouquet of flowers in the spirit of Easter yesterday. It is quite lovely but this post of yours is far more beautiful and eloquent an image for this weekend. The mystery of sacrifice will probably be the theme of many sermons tomorrow. Better those ministers simply read this post out loud.
Thank you and Happy Easter.
April 11, 2009 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Beautiful post, Boyd. Thanks.
As for other issues here, conservatives conflate supporting war with supporting the troops. If they supported the troops they would have provided more funding for health care, more access to healthcare, better maintenance of Walter Reed, and better armored vehicles, among other things.
April 11, 2009 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think I may have told this story already here, somewhere, so forgive me if I'm repeating myself, but I think this is a fitting place to share it again...
I attended my nephew Johnny's graduation from boot camp at Ft. Benning two years ago, and met long-lost family members at the same time. After saying goodbye to my newly-found nephew, I spent an hour at the airport with my little sister Jennifer. We were sitting in a restaurant having breakfast and waiting for our flights out of the Atlanta airport when we suddenly heard loud applause erupting down the echoing hallways. We turned around and there were a bunch of Army personnel in uniform heading towards their flight. Everyone was giving them a standing ovation as they passed.
Jennifer and I both cried, "Oh!!" at the same time and stood up and cheered and applauded, all the while with tears running down our faces. After the soldiers had moved on, we noticed everyone in the restaurant was smiling, mellow, thoughtful, and thankful.
I'm no fan of war by any means, but I support our troops. I support anyone willing to make such a sacrifice.
And Boyd, this was a beautiful post.
April 12, 2009 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink