My dad served in the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam. One of his jobs while in that war torn country was transporting supplies. Later, he became a door gunner on a helicopter. I was raised under a firm hand of discipline and the expectancy of honor and respect. He taught me how to be a man, using techniques I am sure were ingrained upon him in the USMC. It is because of his strong leadership in the household and his strict character regarding his raising of me that I have turned out to be the man that I am, and I thank him for it.
Having him as a dad sure made boot camp easier - but if I was to say it was a complete piece of cake, I'd be a liar. I was eighteen, nervous, but eager. I had never been yelled at so much in my life. I was stupid, a maggot, a sissy, unworthy, etc. And I was alone. I had only been married a week and I was on the other side of the country from my bride. That was the hardest part. Not being with the one I love.
And so I think about these soldiers risking their lives for our freedom. But it goes beyond that. They are alone, far from home, away from their loved ones. What a sacrifice to have to make. I respect them for it. I thank them for it. I appreciate their sacrifices. If the military would have me back (I was let out with a service-connected injury) I would gladly be there beside them, fighting to secure the freedoms that I want my children and future grandchildren to enjoy.
The one thing my dad says about Vietnam is that it really bothered him that after all he had been through his reception was far from warm. Like our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, he endured hardships that those of us without combat experience will never understand. Freedom has a different flavor for them. All we can do is thank them, and show our appreciation when we can.My dad fought in Vietnam, my grandfather was in France during World War II, and our troops currently serve overseas so that we may enjoy our liberty, and so that people like my wife may pursue the American dream as an immigrant. She took the oath of citizenship last Thursday. She is now officially an American. She refuses to call herself a Mexican-American, or Hispanic, or anything else that doesn't reflect how she truly feels. If you ask her what her nationality is, she will tell you, "I am an American."
Today at 4pm Pacific/7pm Eastern on Political Pistachio Radio we will be talking about what it is to be an American, what patriotism truly is, and how it feels for Mrs. Pistachio to have taken the oath. Tune in live, or listen to the archive later. If you wish to congratulate Mrs. Pistachio on the air, call in at (646) 652-2940.
God Bless America.
God Bless you.
16 comments:
Very interesting Doug. Like all conflicts once the politicians get a hold of it.. it's over, I'll be calling ya
Mrs. Pistachio is one of only a few that truly has earned the "American" title. Years ago immigrants came here for opporunity and a better life, and the benefit of coming to America. Now they come for what they can take. It's frustrating. Mrs. Pistachio, by her attitude regarding citizenship, restores hope in America's future for me. Great job, dear, great job indeed.
Terrific piece.
Congrats to Mrs P.
What a wonderful piece. I love the photos!
fascinating, indeed. Thanks for the insight of that point of view.
Hey D, thanks for calling in.....Good show tonight as well!
Thanks, Jenn. You rock!
Rosecovered,
I really have no idea what your post had to do with anything on the tables here. Copying and pasting something you said in February into a topic that has nothing to do funding, I do not know what your goal is. You had other posts about your history that would have made sense to be placed here, not this one.
Tearing down something and starting over is not always the way to fix something. There are problems with America, do we tear it down and rebuild, of course not. People have problems in relationships, working on them to save them usually works better than destroying them and expecting to be able to put it back together.
I like the MIC as you lovingly call it and would rather my tax dollars be spent there then in entitlement programs. You should know weapons take time to develop so when a 50 year old enemy falls apart suddenly why would you want to get rid of progress that has been made. I understand your general concept and to an extent it makes sense but…
The Soviet Union (Russia, but they are in reverse with Putin) sells advanced SA systems to Iran. Wouldn’t you rather we have the systems needed to strike them AND the stealth ability (F-22’s) to get through them saving pilots lives? How about the military build up of China, can you promise me that we will not be in a Cold War II with them 10 years down the road? Most likely not, however you cannot promise me!
As they say “you go to war with the army you have.” Wouldn’t you prefer to be prepared as opposed to have this run to rebuild the military. It has never made sense in the past to downgrade our military because inevitability we will have to go to war again, and since you never know the scale you cannot assume that cruise missiles and SPECOP will be able to contain the hostilities.
MK, when the term American is being used, obviously that means citizen of the United States. Don't play games, please, you know what I meant. As always, you are just trying to disrupt. And MDConservative, thanks for the insightful interception regarding Rose Colored Glasses.
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