Hello All,
I am slowly working my way back into a weekly routine of dispatches, but I again apologize for the delay. I'm not sure if I have slipped into the doldrums of summer (and the midway point of this ever-inspiring deployment), but franlkly, I really have not found much rant-worthy as of late. The days pass in a blast furnace blur and much of the precious little down time we have is spent sleeping and avoiding the outdoors entirely. We now plan our days in ways to avoid being exposed to midday heat as much as possible. If my laundry is not picked up by 10 AM, I'll wait to pick it up the next morning, even if it means wearing a highly fragrant PT tee shirt for another day, no joke.
Perhaps it being less than a month after being home for two glorious weeks of friends, family, and several hundred cups of Dunkin' Donuts coffee (I'm a slave to corporate America, I know), I am less inspired to write. Perhaps being at the midway point of the deployment has robbed me of the ability to find humor where I once did. I don't know. All I know is that it is ungodly hot over here and the thought of "cooler" temperatures being a month or so away (by cooler, I mean 90 -100 degrees F) is of little solace whilst sitting in the 140 degree heat of those rolling ovens we call HUMMVs.
Anyhow, enough sniveling about the heat. On with the rants...
I recently was made aware of a little fact that caused me to say "it was probably a good thing I was home on leave when I was." For those of you who do not know, I was home for two weeks in early July. During that time, Camp Bucca had a little Fourth of July celebration. Now, I always though the FOurth of July was a commemoration of our Indpendence, most likely because the actualy name of the holiday is "Independence Day." Regardless, Bucca had a "party" and elected to invite British forces in the immediate area (they had been kind enough to include us in their celebration of the Queen's Birthday earlier in the year). The Brits graciously accepted and the party was on. Part of the celebration was to include a reading of the Declaration of Independence. The document that delcared our independence from oppression under a British tyrrany. The document that sparked the war for our nation's liberty. You know, basically the most important document (perhaps secondly only to the Constitution) in the history of the United States.
Well, because political correctness, social awareness, and whatever else you like to call it reigns supreme over the UNited States Army's ability to effectively wage war, upper leadership, in a move that outraged, well, basically everyone, provided an edited version of the Declaration of Independence that omitted references to British tyranny and oppression, so as not to insult or slight our guests.
(let us pause to allow the author to work up the head of steam necessary to really get this rant going correctly...and now, without further adieu, let the rage commence...)
Okay, we've been sent to this goddamn country to liberate a people who would not fight for their own freedom, for a people too willing to follow the words of violent men who embrace hatred too much to ever allow true freedom to flourish. Fine... I'm willing to do my job here... it is what I signed up for and what I do.
While politicians use us for sound bytes and poll ratings, we live the hell that is war. Not because we like violence and pain, but because we truly believe that somehow, someday, our actions will bring forth a better way of life for those people we've been sent to help. In short, we believe in the principles of our country, though not always the politics.
Now, I can understand that some things that have happened in the past still smart -- some wounds do not heal quickly... nonetheless, to revise an offical document of substantial worth, on the day its very essence is celebrated, solely to play the role of gracious host, is completely ludicrous. It bastardized the entire day. I really do not think the Brits would get their knickers in a bunch over a few lines referring to events of 225+ years ago. If they were to take offense, let them them be offended. Do not take to a stage and tell us our country is the greatest country in the world, a country worth fighting and dying over, a country worth killing for, and then read a "scaled back" Declaration of Independence. If we want to be on the top, we've got to be willing to be a bit lonely...
I'd love to continue this rant, but I fear lack of sleep has hindered my ranting ability, so I will end this now. I promise I'll work myself up into a lather before my next dispatch...
For now, I hope all is well and look forward to hearing from all of you...
Keep some emails coming...
Mike
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