This diary is about my transformation from anti-war far-left radical to reasonable moderate supporter of the troops despite my view against the war itself. I hope those who read this can take somethings away from it. From the point of view of a moderate that is. Maybe some new light on a dark and subject.
So we enter 2008 with two black boots still planted firmly on Iraqi soil. First off I want to let everyone know who reads this that I was never pro-Iraq war. In fact I saw the war as a huge risk not only politically but on a level that would ultimately result in another terrorist attack. I was a bit Ron Paul-esque back in the days leading up to the war. Something happend to me as time when on. I suddenly got more and more anti well, anti.
I was getting sick of all the rhetoric from those who didn't hide the fact that they opposed the war. I don't know why I was getting so annoyed, but I was. It could of been the fact that I have a strong military history in my family. On my dad's side that is. Both uncles of mine were in Vietnam. They volunteered. They also served as high ranking members of the military in Vietnam. Also another reason why I've become more sympathetic toward the troops and more sort of against those who label them as "war criminals" and "terrorists" is because of the fact that my father's brother was killed in the line of duty during Vietnam. He was a marine and he was gunned down.
He was just starting his life. He was taken too soon and it's a sad thing. That is why I could never see myself coming out and disrespecting any member of the Military. I couldn't find any good in that action. The thought of bashing someone verbally for following orders to take part in one of the most dangerous and mentally draining jobs in the world. I have great respect for the armed forces around the globe, not just in the United States. I found my own respect for them through the eyes of my uncles in their photos taken during their stints in Vietnam. I saw the smiles and the genuine hope on their faces that in spite of a country divided and broken over a task they were sent to carry out, they still felt that deep within their hearts and souls they were doing the right thing. They felt that a people oppressed and brutalized by dictators and Military Generals needed to be liberated.
I find myself having the same feeling toward the men and women serving in this Vietnam copycat war in Iraq. Afterall, some of them were the same age as me when they first enlisted after 9/11. I remember watching the midday news report in high school after September 11th and seeing some of the young students talking about joining the army after they graduate that year. It made me stop and think, and it also gave me a sense of sadness because I knew that like in any war most of those young faces wouldn't make it home. So I now find myself standing in the middle of people around me who just hate this war. In rare situations some of the those people side with the Iraqi people over their own country's armed forces. That's the annoying thing about all this. We can fight about this war. We can disagree. What we shouldn't do is allow ourselves to let disdain for our "gun slinging" president and his band of rough riders in the White House to overwhelm us so much that we blame the ones with no say in the final decision. I hope many of those who've been against this war from the sart don't blame our troops. I encourage them to instead look at it from their point of view. It's not easy being apart of something highly unfavorable to those looking on from crowd.