The American Soldier knows America doesn’t Support Him.

genie_weenie

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Sun Oct-22-06 10:36 AM
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The American Soldier knows America doesn’t Support Him.

An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
But Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees! ~ Rudyard Kipling

Everyone here knows Supporting the Troops does not mean supporting the war effort. That’s a Limbaughian Meme and can be discarded. But what troops know is encapsulated by popular culture. Vets are routinely “spat upon” by the American citizen.

For most it is understood on an unconscious level; A half remembered fragment of the ending of Stallone’s Rambo, a glance at the headline concerning the huge number of homeless Vets, stories of the VA losing personal data or not having the money promised the Vet for medical care or schooling. The message is clear. Once you are a used up Veteran, you are to be discarded and forgotten.

Members of the Federal Government, complain that the number of returning wounded Vets eats up to much of the budget. David S. Chu: http://pww.org/article/view/6506/1/

Distilled message: It’s better if you had died gloriously on the battlefield. Then you could have been enshrined and eulogized. Liars and chicken hawks could have placed words of Bravery on your dead lips. http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/28/ann-coulter-on-pat-tillman-quoti-dont-believe-itquot/

But, of course, it gets worse. Many soldiers have reservations about the war but realize their situation. An endless stream of authority figures have instilled and ensured that the individual soldier knows he is powerless. Alone he can be destroyed or ignored. And he knows fear, fear of the system and its power:

Fear of being court-martialed or going to prison.
Fear of being called a coward or a traitor.
Fear of a dishonorable discharge.
Fear of being ridiculed back home.
Fear of reprisals from others in the military.
Fear of being labeled as un-American or anti-American.
Fear of being called an anti-war pussy by some washed-up, has-been, pompous ass.

They attacked John Murtha and the Dixie Chicks. And they didn’t do anything illegal, what will they do to me?

"Everyone's your brother 'till the rent comes due."

When it comes down to it, most Americans will not want to get involved and will not help troops who resist deploying for this illegal war. It’s that simple.

It's not that people don't care but it's a combination of many things. Fear of Government plays a big part for the average American and a rightful concern over their own lives and families or, worse, concern over trivia (Fantasy Football, Paris Hilton, Dancing with the Stars). And that's what the troops KNOW. Fear, apathy, and other priorities will consume America’s attention. Any soldier who stands up against the system knows he will stand alone. America does not care.

“Cut off my head and make me a martyr. The people will always remember” “No they will forget.” We know if you don't have a family member or friend over in Iraq you can't be counted on to help.
“Someone being sympathetic to this? I don't know if I'd be sympathetic if I wasn't in the army. After you watch this, you're gonna go get your popcorn out of the microwave and talk about what I said, and you'll forget me by the end of this.” ~SGT Beatty, Gunner Palace.

And still it gets worse. Can the troop count on his elected official? No. The official is a member of the Government and when a soldier says, No Sir I won’t go, his enemy is now the entire Government. Who voted to send him there? Who won’t stand up with the moral courage to get him home? That elected official. Congressmen can’t be counted on because they have one priority, getting re-elected. If a vote comes up that is framed to make them look bad they’ll vote against bringing the troops home. Take last 19Nov05 for example. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll608.xml

Sure, it was a Republican dirty trick, but only 3 had the courage to call for the pull-out? What message does that send to the troops? Politicians are more concerned about their seats than they are about Americans.

How many people stand with the bravest woman alive today Cindy Sheehan? Or the other Gold Star Families for Peace? http://www.gsfp.org/ How many words (spoke and written) have been spewed forth to vilify her? How much time has Sean Hannity spent in his personal mission to destroy her?

So how many can be counted on to stand with a man accused of a crime?

The American Citizen could stop this war, easily. Stop paying taxes. You want to stop a Rampant War Machine remove it’s funding, gum up the works. You get enough people causing problems for the Government and it will have to change direction, even if it is to jail those “malcontents” and forcibly come for their money. Thoreau knew this.

But, the troops understand, that kind of mettle is in short supply.

What’s worse is I’ve seen blanket post after post begin the nice downward spiral of vitriol and hatred towards all service members here at the DU. Those with the least power are expected to be the bravest and strongest and stand, alone, against the weight of this evil Regime and the apathetic onlookers?

I don’t know any other way to end this than to state: There are still 832 days until 20 Jan 2009.