Potter wrote on Apr 25th, 2009 at 9:02pm:Brew wrote on Apr 25th, 2009 at 7:27pm:That's the thing about true heroes, Colin - they put themselves in harm's way voluntarily so the rest of us can enjoy liberty. None of us can even come close to repaying them.
Jeannie's son wants to be one of those heroes, and I for one hope he can find a way to do it.
And that's why we are The United States of America.
Potter
Potter, I couldn't have said it any better, and that is why you are one of my heroes. You have been there, and have paid the price that I was fortunate enough, although willing, to not have to pay. You will forever have my gratitude.
Colin, You look at history and use the debacle caused by a bloated, self-delusional, class based military hierarchy and its stupidity to give you the basis for your cynical anti-military views. I understand you are English, and do not mean this as a slam against England, but your class system that denies qualified young men the opportunity to become officers because of their family lineage has been the downfall of your forces. You have some EXCELLENT fighting men, ( my son has served alongside some of them), but their leadership is very suspect.
I am proud to have a son who has served for almost four years in the USMC, he'll make Sargent in June, and go to Officer Candidate School next summer. He knew from a very early age that the military is the way he wanted to go. He did this BECAUSE of his reading of history. He did not go with the idea of becoming a hero, but there is no man that I hold in higher respect than I do him. My third son will in about 3 1/2 weeks be given the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor designating him a United States Marine. I could not be prouder of his choice.
Neither of my sons entered the service because they wanted to kill, but rather to protect life, even if it meant laying down their own. Rob (my son) in the 7 months he spent in Iraq saw first hand the horrors brought about on a country because no one was willing to stand up to a corrupt man and put an end to him. Do you know what a mass grave holding approximately 300,000 men, women, AND children looks like? (Part of them were buried while still alive.) Rob does. Do you know what a room where wives and daughters were raped in front of husbands and fathers looks like? This was common practice against the "enemies of the State" before our forces along with yours put a stop to it. He was in rooms where the bloodstains were still on the wall from the brutal torture that was committed against common people just on the suspicion that they might have bad thoughts against Hussein. I will not detail what some of those methods were, but they made the Spanish Inquisition look like a Boy Scout Camp.
I did not mean to go into as rant, but I can think of very few "options" I would rather have my son look at than service in the United States Marine Corps. (Seconded by the other branches of our Services

) Yes, they need to look at all options, but then they need to weigh what it is they want their lives to count for when it is all said and done.
One of the Few, the Proudest, a United States Marine Dad!
Jerry