Fallen soldiers deserve respect
Feana Kotter
Issue date: 9/13/06 Section: Opinion
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Monday marked the fifth anniversary of the day our country and our world irreversibly changed. Now, halfway through 2006, we have been fighting a global war on terror for five years, trying to instill order in the Middle East.
During the last three years, the nation has become more divided on the war issue. From the smallest town to Capitol Hill, voices have been heard in both support and opposition of the ongoing conflict. Though the First Amendment protects the right of divergent voices, there are some places where they should not be heard out of respect for fallen soldiers.
The funeral of a soldier is not only a way for the family and friends to grieve and say goodbye; it is also a way for the rest of society to honor the sacrifice of the individual. Lately, some groups of people have blatantly disrespected these soldiers and their families by using the funerals for political protests.
These people should imagine the feelings of the soldier's family. How would those protestors feel if it were their children being lowered into the ground and a group of rude people exploited the occasion to selfishly express their opinion of the war?
The soldier being buried sacrificed what avid protestors of the war are taking for granted: life. These objectors are too eager to turn this war into merely another political blunder while tragically forgetting the personal aspect. The war is not being fought by the politicians, but by the diligent sacrifices of the soldiers who are missing out on their college years to change the fate of what happens next.
Similarly, the veterans of this war should never be told they fought for nothing. Anyone who dares to utter these words is not only a coward, but should have their tongues removed from their mouths. Some of the veterans are here at Western and in the Macomb community. The people who antagonize these veterans are just as heartless as the terrorists we are at war against, and even more oblivious.
We can be against the war, but we must never be against the soldiers. Men and women who gave their lives to defend our right to take everything we have for granted. They fought in trenches and deserts. They fought to defend people like us, whom they have never met. No one ever wants a war, but when it happens, those who choose to step up with their lives on the line deserve our respect. Period.
Former President and general Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it."
The day will come when war will cease, and all of our politicians will have to accommodate the wishes of those who elect them. Until that day comes, we should speak against bloodshed, not against those who shed their blood for us.
During the last three years, the nation has become more divided on the war issue. From the smallest town to Capitol Hill, voices have been heard in both support and opposition of the ongoing conflict. Though the First Amendment protects the right of divergent voices, there are some places where they should not be heard out of respect for fallen soldiers.
The funeral of a soldier is not only a way for the family and friends to grieve and say goodbye; it is also a way for the rest of society to honor the sacrifice of the individual. Lately, some groups of people have blatantly disrespected these soldiers and their families by using the funerals for political protests.
These people should imagine the feelings of the soldier's family. How would those protestors feel if it were their children being lowered into the ground and a group of rude people exploited the occasion to selfishly express their opinion of the war?
The soldier being buried sacrificed what avid protestors of the war are taking for granted: life. These objectors are too eager to turn this war into merely another political blunder while tragically forgetting the personal aspect. The war is not being fought by the politicians, but by the diligent sacrifices of the soldiers who are missing out on their college years to change the fate of what happens next.
Similarly, the veterans of this war should never be told they fought for nothing. Anyone who dares to utter these words is not only a coward, but should have their tongues removed from their mouths. Some of the veterans are here at Western and in the Macomb community. The people who antagonize these veterans are just as heartless as the terrorists we are at war against, and even more oblivious.
We can be against the war, but we must never be against the soldiers. Men and women who gave their lives to defend our right to take everything we have for granted. They fought in trenches and deserts. They fought to defend people like us, whom they have never met. No one ever wants a war, but when it happens, those who choose to step up with their lives on the line deserve our respect. Period.
Former President and general Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it."
The day will come when war will cease, and all of our politicians will have to accommodate the wishes of those who elect them. Until that day comes, we should speak against bloodshed, not against those who shed their blood for us.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Tim Frier
posted 9/13/06 @ 12:13 PM CST
You clearly have no idea who these protesters are. It should be clarified that those despicable people protesting at soldiers funerals are not anti-war protesters. (Continued…)
Jim
posted 9/14/06 @ 12:13 PM CST
This country has in fact become so divided that these are people professing an allegedly Conservative ideology who are protesting the funerals of servicemen and women. (Continued…)
anonymous
posted 9/14/06 @ 12:46 PM CST
Yeah Feana get your fucking act together!!!!!!!!!!!
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