This weekend, I had the fortune to be in attendance at the Armory in Hartford this weekend, among the thralls of people, to see off the 1087 Transportation division of the CT National Guard. Among them is my brother-in-law, Eran. First of all, let me just tell you that the building is fairly imposing, even without all of the people in military dress. We walked into this large gymnasium and, as we entered, we were handed a yellow ribbon and an american flag on a stick. Finding our seat, I looked around at the gathered masses, all eyes staring at the troops in formation in the center of the floor. Seeing this site, it was hard not to feel just a bit patriotic. The ceremony began with remarks by some high ranking CT military people, introducing a state senator, a us rep for CT, our governor, Jodi Rell, the attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, and a couple other people...I'd be more specific, but the soundsystem made everyone sound like adults in the old Charlie Brown movies. Having no idea what anyone was saying, I was relegated to clapping and waving the flag when people closer did.
After the thing was over, I spent my last evening hanging with my brother-in-law and wished him well. I told him to be careful, and come home safely to my sister-in-law. What didn't I say? I didn't tell him to kill some Iraqis. Do you ever notice in those old movies about war that the family of the departing are always full of piss and vinegar to have their family member kill someone on the opposite side? Were people in WWII really so gung ho to "kill some Japs(or Krauts)"? That's not what Iraq is about...now the paramount concern isn't how many kills...the number should stay as low as possible...the more pressing need is to just come home.
One more thing...while at the armory, I purchased one of those wristbands...you know the ones...Lance Armstrong made the yellow ones so famous with his cancer charity. The one I got was a camoflauge one that says support the troops. Since this conflict in Iraq began, I think this is the first time I actively thought about supporting them. Of course, I want them to know that we want them to be safe and come home and know that we think they're doing a great job, but having Eran on the verge of going over there, support gets a new meaning. It means that I will pay the 3.00 for the wristband and wear it every chance I'll get, but it also means that I'll double my efforts to make my voice heard about bringing these troops home. I know it's selfish to be just bringing myself into this now, but I have a vested interest, so here we go
BRING THEM HOME!!
...that's all for now.
After the thing was over, I spent my last evening hanging with my brother-in-law and wished him well. I told him to be careful, and come home safely to my sister-in-law. What didn't I say? I didn't tell him to kill some Iraqis. Do you ever notice in those old movies about war that the family of the departing are always full of piss and vinegar to have their family member kill someone on the opposite side? Were people in WWII really so gung ho to "kill some Japs(or Krauts)"? That's not what Iraq is about...now the paramount concern isn't how many kills...the number should stay as low as possible...the more pressing need is to just come home.
One more thing...while at the armory, I purchased one of those wristbands...you know the ones...Lance Armstrong made the yellow ones so famous with his cancer charity. The one I got was a camoflauge one that says support the troops. Since this conflict in Iraq began, I think this is the first time I actively thought about supporting them. Of course, I want them to know that we want them to be safe and come home and know that we think they're doing a great job, but having Eran on the verge of going over there, support gets a new meaning. It means that I will pay the 3.00 for the wristband and wear it every chance I'll get, but it also means that I'll double my efforts to make my voice heard about bringing these troops home. I know it's selfish to be just bringing myself into this now, but I have a vested interest, so here we go
BRING THEM HOME!!
...that's all for now.
 | Currently listening: Eyes Open By Snow Patrol Release date: 09 May, 2006 |
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