[Vision2020] Two Different Things

[Tom Hansen]

>From the Army Times (www.armytimes.com) with special thanks to Paige
Selking.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Two different things

Many people say it's not possible to be against the war and support the
troops; I used to be one of those people.

Through the years I've had the opportunity to ponder this statement as my
husband fought in the Panama invasion, Desert Shield/Desert Storm and is now
getting ready for his second tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I began to really question this statement earlier this year, but a visit
this summer to my liberal sister-in-law and her roommate helped me see it a
little more clearly.

I have always shied away from discussing politics with them since we rarely
agree on anything politically and I wasn't sure what their reaction would be
to my husband heading back to Iraq, though they had written to him and
mailed him packages during his first deployment.

I was shocked to find that though they remained adamantly opposed to the
war, their concern was for all the troops who were deploying over and over
again, and for their families.

They see the troops as individuals, not policy. Some politicians could take
a lesson from that.

How could I say that they couldn't possibly support the troops because they
oppose the war?

What about all the people who say they're for the war and do nothing to
support the troops?

It comes down to realizing that they are, in fact, two different things.

War is the policy of the current administration; the troops are the
defenders of the Constitution and the American people.

When people take the oath to join the military, they swear to defend the
Constitution, not the policies of the current administration. 

There are many people serving in the military who took the oath before this
administration was in the White House. 

Being a professional soldier means carrying out the orders of your commander
in chief regardless of whether you agree with them.

There are soldiers serving in combat zones today that don't necessarily
agree with the war, but continue to fight because that is their job. Does
that mean they don't support their comrades?

That said, I don't believe it's possible to participate in anti-war
demonstrations and rallies and say you support the troops. That has a huge
negative effect on the morale of the people you're supposedly doing it for.

When you support the war, you support the policy; when you support the
troops, you support the individuals tasked to carry out the policy. The two
really aren't the same.

Paige Selking

Heidelberg, Germany

--------------------------------------------------------------

Take care, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil
and steady dedication of a lifetime." 
 
--Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.