Support Our Troops?

In recent weeks the headlines have been full of military events. I saw one today, about a young Father of four who was helping a girl from Iraq get heart surgery here in the states. This is a kind good act, and I in no way can complain about the man's actions. What he is doing is showing that he has a heart and although the young man himself probably could care less about the publicity that his actions have gotten. None the less they have gotten it and once again it gives our Government fuel for us to stay in a war that we aren't wanted in and a reason for those that preach "Support Our Troops" to keep on preaching.

But what about the soldier who killed the young mother and burned her and the child's remains? Or the soldiers that raped the twelve year old, or the countless other injustices that our so called good troops have done? Everyday I hear people say, "You have to support our troops. They are there, fighting for our freedom." Bull! They are there cause our government sent them. God only knows what the governments reasoning is, but freedom is not the true issue.

Don't get me wrong, I support the military such as it is. The days of our troops going off to fight for anything other than a government whim, ended with World War II. That was when the military of our nation stood for freedom and honor. I'm sure that there were soldiers in those days that did things that were dishonorable and horrible, but did they get away with it as easily as what they do today? Or did the government just hide what they did better than they do today?

Surprisingly to know, since I am writing this, several members of my family have served in the military. My Father was in the Navy, a Brother in the Coast Guard, a nephew and an Uncle in the Marines and countless others further back. I even had a Step-daughter in the Navy and a Son in Law that is still in the Navy. All of which will be the first to say that the military has changed. It is no longer the proud group that used to stand for freedom in our country; the ones that the rest of us could look to for protection. Now it's who do we look for, for protection against them.

A little published fact; there are thousands of military dependents that are not being supported by their military spouses or parents. There are families that have been abandoned and left to fend for their selves; while the soldiers are off doing whatever with whomever they choose. Even when this is brought to the attention of the military they turn a blind eye. I know of one case in which the young wife and child were left in the street in the middle of the night, with no money or means of transportation. And what did the military do to the young soldier? No a damn thing! It took nearly a year before the soldier even was made to pay child support. Not because there was any doubt that the child was his, just because he didn't want to let go of his money, and the military backed this effort. All the young Mother kept hearing from the civilian officials was that this was a military matter, and all the military kept telling her was that this was a civilian matter. So who has jurisdiction over these soldiers?

When military personnel commit crimes, who holds them accountable? In the case of the soldier who killed the woman and child and burned their remains and who is more than likely hiding on some base some where, why is the military not in an all out man hunt to find him? Answer: Cause they just don't give a damn. A statement that was made concerning a complaint about the threatening behavior of a soldier that burned me, was "Our Soldiers are of Sound mind and Body. We do checks to assure this." Really? How sound minded were the rapist or the murder. Our country use to send young men into the military to straighten them out and make them clean up and become useful citizens. Now we send useful young men and women into the military to give them a legal way to commit crimes.

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of young men and women in the military that are there because they feel they are serving their country and trying to protect their homeland. And to those I take off my hat and salute them. I pray that they find their way back home safe and sound. Back to the families and loved ones that they have supported while they have been away. To the young soldier helping the little girl get a heart, you deserve to be held in high esteem. For you truly represent what a humanitarian is. But to the others I truly pray that they find the justice that they deserve, if such a thing even exists?