February 9, 2007 By Cpl M
Posted in Guest Blogger
[Guest Blogger Cpl M from soldiersperspective.us taks about the “Gathering of Eagles”]
The anti-war movement became the norm in America during the Vietnam War. Protests literally changed the public’s view of the war and brought subversive behavior into the mainstream. Fast-forward to now and we are once again faced with an anti-war movement that is just as subversive, and perhaps more dangerous, than the movement of the Vietnam War.
There seems to be a lack of effort to let our fellow Americans know that support is still the majority opinion. Just as the anti-war movement is mobilizing to protest the war, the supporters need to mobilize to combat the protests. Anti-war protesters think they can change our foreign policy as they did in the 60s and 70s, but they need to know that there is still a majority of Americans that do not want any change.
One such effort to counter the protesters is currently underway. Protesters plan to march from the Vietnam Memorial Wall to the Pentagon. It is widely assumed that some of the protesters will attempt to deface the Wall as they defaced the Capitol building back in January. A group calling themselves the Gathering of Eagles plans to protect the Wall from any harm at any cost.
“We’ll be there to act as a countervailing force against the Cindy Sheehan-Jane Fonda march from the Vietnam Memorial to the Pentagon,” retired Navy Capt. Larry Bailey said. “We will protect the Vietnam Memorial. If they try to deface it, there will be some violence, I guarantee you.”
This is the message that needs to be going out to the anti-war movement. Patriotic Americans will not stand by and let you use something as sacred as the Vietnam Memorial Wall for your own political gain. Patriotic Americans will not let you use the name of our finest warriors to further your own self-serving goals. Our veterans will not stand by and let anyone bring dishonor to our country.
I salute the Gathering of Eagles for their efforts and pray that they will continue to counter the anti-war protesters.
27 Comments »
February 7, 2007 By Cpl M
Posted in Guest Blogger, Why We Serve
I have spent a good deal of time over the last four and a half years attempting to explain why I serve. That is a question I am asked all too frequently, and I have never come up with an answer I feel adequately explains my service.
There isn’t a huge history of military service in my family. A couple of uncles by marriage have served, but the last relative related by blood to serve was my great-grandfather. This was a fact unknown to me until he passed away in late 2001. I had already entered the Delayed Entry Program, but Grandpa’s mind had already failed him. I saw the tri-folded flag on a stand next to his open coffin and felt a connectedness I had never felt with him before. We weren’t very close through most of my life, but I felt as close to him in that single moment as I fell with my father and grandfather. Even that connection doesn’t come close enough to explain why I serve.
I am one of the younger voices in the MilBlog community. I joined the Marine Corps in the months just after September 11th. I vividly remember the images of that day, and the uncertainty on every face in my high school. My classmates and I had visions of graduation and college already in our minds, and nothing could take our focus from the end of our high school career until that day. I saw tears running down the faces of people I’d known for the majority of my life. Never did I think I would see them openly weep. I saw rage in the eyes of some of the calmest minds. Never did I think such anger could come from their heart. Never did I think I would take a stand to protect all of them and the American way of life.
I serve so that something like September 11th doesn’t have to happen to any nation ever again. I pray that sacrificing any plans I made as a high school senior will keep even one innocent American from falling to terrorism. I pray that I can help make a difference in this world now to bring about a hope of defeating radicals. Most importantly, I hope that I can one-day give a better world to my daughter so that she and her family can live the American Dream.
9 Comments »
