Response to MoveOn.org

MoveOn.org, a big left-wing group, put out a fairly pathetic ad recently that they have been showing on TV and whatnot. You should watch it if you haven't, but set aside for a moment the breathtaking dishonesty they have by asserting that McCain wants our military in Iraq for 100 years.

The sad thing is the contining infantilization of of the members of our military. Anti-war types constatntly talk about how "our children are dying", or some such nonsense. In truth, everyone who joins the military is an adult who does so on his or her own free will. To call them "children" or something like that seems very insulting to me (I can't speak for any soldier, since I have never been one).

(A similar theme is when these left-wingers like Michael Moore go around asking supporters if they would "send their children" to Iraq. Um, no one can force his or her adult child to do anything, let alone join the military.)

Anyway, a now-retired Navy guy wrote a long and thoughtful e-mail in response to the ad, and the whole thing is very good. Here are my favorite parts:

You see, service to your country isn't something that fits into every heart very easily because it involves sacrifice, and unfortunately, to so many people today, sacrifice is just a word, but to the men and women in uniform, it means honor, courage, and commitment. Those are words that can't just be thrown around because to live up to them requires genuine integrity and honesty, and all of these things I just mentioned are the values associated with wearing the uniform of any branch of service and they are not something taken lightly. When you commit to the uniform, you commit to the country. So, please, forgive me if I sound a little proud of my service to our country.

...

I see the same values and appreciation and gratitude in the faces of the men and women who journey to our nation’s capital everyday to witness the monuments that have been erected in honor of their service--I've seen them cry, sob tears of joy, relief, and sorrow as they recount days gone by, memories of a time they spent proudly serving America.

Their mothers, wives, girlfriends, and family didn't want them to go either, but America called and they responded, because that is what Americans do.