Ready and anxious to see America’s finest at Ft. Hood tomorrow. My heart is with every military mom, dad, spouse, child, grandparent... every supporter of our proud men and women in uniform (Palin, 2009, ¶1).Commentary:
My brother passed the following along to me because he thought I’d like it; he was right. Enjoy... and please honor America’s finest (Palin, 2009, ¶2).
- Sarah Palin
The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father’s, but he has never collected unemployment either.
He’s a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.
He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.
He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient.
He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.
He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.
If you’re thirsty, he’ll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He’ll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.
He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job. He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.
He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to ‘square-away’ those around him who haven’t bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking.
In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.
Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.
He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.
And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.
As you go to bed tonight, remember this. A short lull, a little shade, and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.
This comment by Governor Palin's former Adjutant General -- now Alaska's Lieutenant Governor captures precisely the mutual love and support between Governor Palin and our troops."As commander-in-chief, Governor Palin is the one we look to for leadership and inspiration while serving and defending the sovereign boundaries of Alaska," said Lt. Gen. (AK) Craig E. Campbell, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard (Kosovo, 2009, ¶4).
To be effective as a leader, one must have the respect and support of the armed forces. This is absolutely not negotiable. Governor Palin has earned this respect, because she truly supports our soldiers' missions. This is a point completely lost on the current holder of the title "Commander in Chief." Further, the current holder of the title has not a clue of the concept that we fight to win; that there is good and evil in the world; and that we fight to overcome evil, whether that evil be in the form of Nazism, Communism, Socialism, or Islamic terrorism.
Governor Palin fully understands these concepts. She is not afraid to identify and destroy evil. As such, should she run for and win the Presidency in 2012, she will be a leader who be respected and admired in and out of the United States.
This book signing at Fort Hood, is the second one to be performed at a military base. As noted when introducing the transcript, all royalties from these two signings are going to a military charity.
References:
Governor Palin Visits Alaska National Guard in Kosovo. (2009, June 25). State of Alaska, Governor. Retrieved June 26, 2009 from: http://wayback.archive-it.org/1200/20090726151839/http://gov.state.ak.us/archive.php?id=1937&type=1
Palin, S. L. H. (2009, December 3). "Worthy American Heroes - Reminding Us What Really Matters." Facebook, Sarah Palin. Retrieved December 4, 2009 from: http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=24718773587#/note.php?note_id=188715953434
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