The son of a co-worker was killed this weekend in Samarra. His name was Josh and he was too young. They're all too young.Josh came from a military family, as so many of these young men and women do. His mother was proud of him. To their family, the words Duty, Honor and Sacrifice are not the empty words of politics, but a way of life that too many of my fellow citizens cannot fully comprehend.
As a nation we have asked a small number of our citizens to shoulder the entire burden of this war. We have indulged young patriots who believe that writing blogs or driving an RV in support of their fathers' political ambitions is somehow service on par with the men and women who stand, raise their right hands, and take this oath:
I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
True faith and allegiance. That's what Josh promised all of us. I just hope that ultimately we will prove ourselves, as a nation, worthy of his sacrifice.
Right this moment, I have my doubts.
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Last night TVLand aired the episode of MASH that had Margaret (or Hot Lips if you prefer) putting together a time capsule. Finally included in the capsule-Radar's teddy bear for all the ones who arrived boys but left men, one of Colonel Blake's fishing lures for the men who never made it home, and of course, one of Klinger's dresses for all the girls they left behind.
You know usually that show makes me laugh my ass off, but sometimes I just have to cry for a little while.
God love Josh and his family.
If our elected politicians took seriously their own oaths to uphold the Constitution, Josh and thousands others would be alive today. That our politicians do not live up to those oaths makes me angry beyond words.
My deepest sympathy to Josh's family.
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