From John Stuart Mill:
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
If you’ve ever used the phrase, “I support the troops, but…”, then you are a miserable creature.
If you have ever taken part in chasing a military recruiter off of a campus, then you are a miserable creature.
If you have ever defamed or criticized the men and women of our military, but have never had the sac to serve yourself, then you are a miserable creature.
If you are a parent and you have attempted to talk your grown child out of joining the military, then you are a selfish miserable creature.
If you are anti-military in any way, you are a miserable creature.
I think you generalize too much. I am in my sixth year of service to the US Air Force. I do not feel a parent looking out for their child’s best interest is a “selfish miserable creature.” If a parent sees their child only wants to go to school to acquire an education, but the parent has the wherewithal to provide that to their child, then there is no reason for the child to join the military. If the child wants to join because they have a need to serve their country, then the advice of a parent will in all likelihood fall on deaf ears anyway. In most cases it is required that a child be 18 years of age, although I believe 17 year olds may be “waivered” in with their parents’ approval. Regardless of what a parent wants, if the child desires it enough, they will join anyway.
Left by Shawn on May 28th, 2005 at 6:31 am