Supporting our Troops - Three Different Perspectives

Why Should You Support The Military? A One Word Answer
By Jeremy Brown

CHOICE

Yes, that is the answer to the question. Here's how it's the answer from three different perspectives.

The Service Member

This is perhaps the best start of the discussion on why you should support the military. It is because of the Choice of a Service Member that you should. One sunny day a young man, barely old enough for the moniker of man will walk in off the street to a recruiter’s office. Why is he there? It’s unimportant in this particular discussion. He is there, by choice, to sign up to serve his Country. In this time of both great need and peril he makes this choice to serve his Country. He raises a hand and swears an Oath. It is not to a political party, a person or even a particular Divinity. Look at the Oath. They volunteer to go fight, leave their families for long period of time and possibly die on soil that is not their home. Why? Because they made a choice to do so thereby giving you the choice and chance to enjoy many freedoms, rights and privileges.

The Spouse

The next level of exploration is that near and dear to my heart, the Spouse. You can’t choose your Family, but you sure can choose your Spouse. Military Spouses choose to remain with their Service Members. They do this through thick and thin, happiness and sometimes the deepest of anguish. It is not a globe trotting thrill fest of world cuisine and European shopping. It is nights alone with a sick child (or two). It is weeks without contact because of a blackout order on their base in Iraq. It is that conflicting emotion to hug the friend who just lost her Service Member fighting with the relief that this one time it was not yours. It is the joy of Homecomings. It is the the lingering sadness of yet another Leave taking. It is a choice. They make a choice to stay with that life and support that Service Member. They make that choice because they love their Country and their Service Member. They do this so that others can make the choice to live in the same place for twenty years and have their children go to the same school for their entire lives.

You

You may fit into one or both of the levels above, but there are others who may not. Yet even the Service Member and the Spouse have additional ways to support the Troops. Its easy. Choose. Choose whether to read this blog or not. Choose whether to share it or not. Choose to stand for the National Anthem. Choose to salute the flag. Choose to vote. Choose your own path of spirituality. Choose. Remember that your ability to choose does not come cheap nor is it bargained for lightly. That Choice has centuries of ideology, blood, grime, grit and determination on it. Never clean it. Be proud of it. Cherish it. Make a stand and choose. Choose to support the Troops that have made a stand to support you. They made a choice to support you. Doesn’t it seem logical for you to choose to do the same?

By Jeremy Brown
Military Life Answers

This post is part of our ongoing series "Why Americans Should Support Our Troops". We encourage you to participate too.

- If you've been looking for a way to support our troops, now you can. Participate in one of our many projects or register with eMOM and sign up to correspond with service members one-on-one. Learn more about our holiday project to support our troops.

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