Posted by
Jon-Roy Sloan on Friday, December 04, 2009 11:26:18 AM
Standing here on the eve of another deployment has caused me to reflect on this event and America in general. I remember on my first deployment back in 2005 wherever you drove, there were yellow ribbon magnets on at least four out of five vehicles; today you might say the ratio is about one in ten. I think one of the reasons there was so much support was the element of danger to America was still fresh, and not to carry water for George W. Bush, he at least spoke in a determined tone that rallied the public behind the military. Also, the stain of how shabbily the Left treated our military during Viet Nam was a shame that Americans did not want to repeat.
I don’t think it is a coincidence either that you don’t here any more news out of Iraq. You’d think we’d be trumpeting our successes but curiously the media is silent, and I think most Americans have bought into that faulty line of thinking that it was the wrong war. When I was attending a school at Ft Sill, Oklahoma I met soldiers from around the country and was somewhat surprised at the reaction of two soldiers from California. They almost gushed about how well they were treated in public by the citizens of Lawton, OK. They were pleased when folks shook their hands and told them ‘Thank you, for your service.’ They did not experience that gratitude in California. Now I know California is a big state and it may depend on where your stationed, so this may not be representative of the mood of the entire state. It only says that some parts of California are cool and maybe even hostile to the folks in the military.
However, it made me proud to be from Tennessee. I cannot go anywhere in public, in my uniform, and not have some one express their gratitude. Even greater, is the support the citizens of Dickson showed for their returning soldiers and the support Cookeville has shown for their departing soldiers. The citizens of Cookeville cooked us breakfast and dinners, adults and children serenaded us with songs of patriotism and love, they gave us free haircuts but most importantly they just expressed a heartfelt gratitude for the service and sacrifice their fellow Tennesseans are making to help keep America safe.
What I take away from all this is this: in spite of all the troubles our country faces, I know that as long as we can gather together to sing God Bless America, pray in open Christian unity, and rally around our troops, America is going to be all right.