I can't verify if this was actually written by a soldier or not....but it rings very true:


This is written by a young soldier serving his third tour of duty in
Iraq.
Thought you might find his take on the Michael Jackson news interesting
and he's right.

I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael
Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an
entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent
millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villian to many
people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I
respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my
rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds
with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was
to ENTERTAIN people, the Amercian people find the need to flock to a
memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment
of silence"
for his passing?

Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a
freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about
all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers
who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised
their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States
of America.
Where is their moment of silence? Where are the people flock ing to
their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the
ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more
people saying good riddence," and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this
country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that
they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw
themselves into mourning for a Pop Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS
for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every
service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY
recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can
live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE,

those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for
them.
But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so
many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make
millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs
that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears
so that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Remember these five
words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the
military...

"So that others may live...."

Isaac

Answer: It keeps us angry.

There's a book out there titled "AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from Military Service -- and How It Hurts Our Country" by Kathy Roth-douquet and Frank Schaeffer.

While it primarily addresses why the absence of the American "elite" and aristocracy is potentially detrimental to the future of the US military, the themes can be extrapolated to precisely why we live in the pop-crazy culture that we do here in the US. It also indirectly explains why servicemembers have the exact reaction that this particular servicemember had.

It's worth a read if you have a couple of days (it's a very quick read).

Originally Posted by AJChenMPH

There's a book out there titled "AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from Military Service -- and How It Hurts Our Country" by Kathy Roth-douquet and Frank Schaeffer.

While it primarily addresses why the absence of the American "elite" and aristocracy is potentially detrimental to the future of the US military, the themes can be extrapolated to precisely why we live in the pop-crazy culture that we do here in the US. It also indirectly explains why servicemembers have the exact reaction that this particular servicemember had.

It's worth a read if you have a couple of days (it's a very quick read).

That sounds like a fascinating book...I'll check my library to see if they have it. Thank you for the suggestion, Lieutenant Commander!

Jill

[QUOTE=jillyz12;525275]

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds
with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was
to ENTERTAIN people, the Amercian people find the need to flock to a
memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment
of silence"
for his passing?


I know....It FREAKIN" pisses me off!!!....I think all of America should be sent to Boot camp for a couple of days...then to war....me included...sigh..."I love my soldiers"...sigh..

hey AJ, why don't you post a blurb about it in our books section so that people can consider it when they're wondering what their next book should be.

Originally Posted by Spain Marine

Ha, ha, ha. You are 30, chatterbox, join the US Army and become a war dog.

You guys are too much!
If I was a moderator I would both give you infractions!
"WARNING: Stop feeding the stereotype!!!"

Originally Posted by the_13th_redneck

hey AJ, why don't you post a blurb about it in our books section so that people can consider it when they're wondering what their next book should be.

Will do! Gimme a bit, need to write up a little more comprehensive summary than the one I posted earlier, and I'm in the middle of a few things right now...

Yeah it's a real far cry from the days when the Bushes and the Kennedys went to war.

Even worse is how much influence celebrities exert proportionate to their actual importance (not much). I asked a similar question when I was a kid, "Why do grown men get paid millions of dollars to play baseball when there are people voluntarily getting shot at and entering burning buildings to save people?"

Never got a decent answer out of anyone.