Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The Call Of Duty


While left-leaning publications are busy investigating every real or perceived wrongdoing, misstep, cough, sneeze and hiccup by our fighting service men and women, including trumped up allegations based on hearsay supplied by anonymous sources, there are a number of writers more interested in the positive stories of triumph, honor, and dedication of our troops.

In The 9/11 Generation, Dean Barnett writes that:

"Once again, history is calling. Fortunately, the present generation appears more reminiscent of their grandparents than their parents."

Barnett goes on to tell the story of a number of men and women who have volunteered for military service because of their personal and patriotic beliefs. He also follows up his piece here at Hugh Hewitt's Blog.

Barnett's words stand in stark contrast to those of Steve Lopez, writer for the L.A. Times. Lopez recently wrote a piece in which he recounted his criticism of his own nephew's decision to join the Marine Corps. Lopez told his nephew that his decision was "uninformed," as if only a journalist of the caliber employed by the L.A. Times would possess the wherewithal to make a decision of such gravity.

When an individual makes a personal decision to join the armed forces, especially during a time of war, friends and relatives understandably walk a fine line between gentle disagreement and offensive condescension. It nearly impossible to think that an individual would even deign to join the military without at least some feeling of honor, or sense of sacrifice. To think that a person would sign away up to eight years of his or her life for a bonus check or misguided bravado is a ridiculous notion.

Rather, anyone who wears the uniform representing our country's military cannot but stand tall with pride and dignity. Answering the call of duty for the good of one's family, friends, neighbors, country, and way of life is not a task to be undertaken lightly.

No article, Op-ed, or opinion piece can tinge the gallantry of our men at arms.

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