Newscaster
07-11-2006, 10:29 AM
Ever since the first US troops set foot in Afghanistan, we have been admonished to "SUPPORT THE TROOPS."
This of course is the absolute correct thing to do. Now, being as old as I am, I was a part of the homeland troop support system when I was five and six years old. My friends and I collected newspapers, scrap metal (Pots and pans, etc), scrap rubber (old tires, etc) and we carrying them in our little red wagons to collection points. I was also part of Civuil Defense (a civilian effort to really protect our neighborhood.) I was a messenger and it was my job to carry messages from one point toi another. Kids older than me and adults too, were litter bearers, plane spotters, air raid wardens, and some actually guarded building armed with rifles from home.
My father who was too old to enlist, left his job and went to work in a shipyard, building ships for the Navy. He stayed in that kind of work until the war ended. It was a scary time but it was also exhillarating because we all felt we were accomplishing something.
Today, we dont have Civil Defense. We dont have shipyards turning out warships and auto manufacturing plants do not convert over to producing warplanes.
Today, we hear about supporting the troops at almost every turn. We see flags flying and people wearing little flags in their lapels. Beyond that, support for troops is almost invisible. Oh sure, there are churches and private groups that put together a shipment of items to send to our guys in Iraq but I dont see this as an ongoing effort. I see the project last thru maybe three shipments and then people return to their private affairs. One church near where I live, two years ago, made a big deal over their project to send food and other necessities to the soldiers and they did a great job....once. A newspaper reporter, a friend of mine, was assigned the job of covering plans for their next shipment but when he got to the church, the pastor told him there would be no second shipment bacause he couldnt attract enough people to do the work. As he put it...."They all seem to be too busy."
Remember when we heard reports that the troops were not getting kevlar bulletproof vests and families had to go and buy them and send them to their sons, brothers, fathers and friends. Thats is supporting the troops...protecting them from harm. Brining pressure on the DOD that if you asre going to send humvees to Iraq, equipment them with proper armor. THat may not be glamorous, but that is what supporting the troops means to me. Supporting the troops means helping them get home in one piece, alive and healthy.
So, now, the reason for this posting. How do you define supporting the troops? With slogans and waving flags which are nice but not effective in stopping bullets or with activities that require an amount of sacrifice by all those involved?
And oh yeah, I would hope you guys could treat this subject with intelligence instead of smart aleck remarks and name calling.
This of course is the absolute correct thing to do. Now, being as old as I am, I was a part of the homeland troop support system when I was five and six years old. My friends and I collected newspapers, scrap metal (Pots and pans, etc), scrap rubber (old tires, etc) and we carrying them in our little red wagons to collection points. I was also part of Civuil Defense (a civilian effort to really protect our neighborhood.) I was a messenger and it was my job to carry messages from one point toi another. Kids older than me and adults too, were litter bearers, plane spotters, air raid wardens, and some actually guarded building armed with rifles from home.
My father who was too old to enlist, left his job and went to work in a shipyard, building ships for the Navy. He stayed in that kind of work until the war ended. It was a scary time but it was also exhillarating because we all felt we were accomplishing something.
Today, we dont have Civil Defense. We dont have shipyards turning out warships and auto manufacturing plants do not convert over to producing warplanes.
Today, we hear about supporting the troops at almost every turn. We see flags flying and people wearing little flags in their lapels. Beyond that, support for troops is almost invisible. Oh sure, there are churches and private groups that put together a shipment of items to send to our guys in Iraq but I dont see this as an ongoing effort. I see the project last thru maybe three shipments and then people return to their private affairs. One church near where I live, two years ago, made a big deal over their project to send food and other necessities to the soldiers and they did a great job....once. A newspaper reporter, a friend of mine, was assigned the job of covering plans for their next shipment but when he got to the church, the pastor told him there would be no second shipment bacause he couldnt attract enough people to do the work. As he put it...."They all seem to be too busy."
Remember when we heard reports that the troops were not getting kevlar bulletproof vests and families had to go and buy them and send them to their sons, brothers, fathers and friends. Thats is supporting the troops...protecting them from harm. Brining pressure on the DOD that if you asre going to send humvees to Iraq, equipment them with proper armor. THat may not be glamorous, but that is what supporting the troops means to me. Supporting the troops means helping them get home in one piece, alive and healthy.
So, now, the reason for this posting. How do you define supporting the troops? With slogans and waving flags which are nice but not effective in stopping bullets or with activities that require an amount of sacrifice by all those involved?
And oh yeah, I would hope you guys could treat this subject with intelligence instead of smart aleck remarks and name calling.