Well would you look at that!

Day 613, 22:14 • Published in USA Israel • by Maelyn

I got a subscriber! Personally, I'm amazed. And thrilled. And at a loss. Now that I have someone actually wanting to read what I write, I feel obligated to write something. But what?

Perhaps I can start slow and work my way up to something worth looking at for more than two seconds, eh?

I'm a soldier. That says a lot about me right there, but what it says is going to be different for everyone that reads that sentence.

To some it may mean I am a blind sheep, following orders regardless of what they may be. I guess to some extent that is true. I do follow all orders. But not blindly. I don't always agree, but I do always follow the orders. Why? It's like I used to tell my children years ago. I know more than they do, and am aware of things they couldn't possibly be aware of. It's ok to question what I say. But first obey. Then come and ask why. Same with the military. First obey. Then, after the obedience has been accomplished, you go to your CO and say hey, you know that order we had to go fight the guys in that spot? Is there a reason we didn't fight the other guys over there instead? You know what? There usually is, and usually it's a good one, too.

To some it means I am a bloodthirsty monster, killing for the pleasure of killing. EH, not so much. I'm really a very mild-mannered, patient, slow-to-anger type who rarely holds a grudge and tends to take a live and let live attitude to most things. Yes, as a soldier I am expected to kill. And kill I do. It's my job. I like that one quote by Patton: "The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other guy die for his." Command tells me where to go and where to aim. I pull the trigger and kill the other guy before he can pull his trigger and kill me. If enough of them die before us, we win. Pretty simple. I don't stress over the morality of it very much. It's the way life is. Maybe one day we will live in a world populated by pretty unicorns and rainbows and everyone will love everyone else. But the sad fact is, we don't live there now, and sometimes you gotta kill.

To a few (and it seems a vanishing few at times), it means I am a patriot. I guess I am. I love my country. A lot. I truly believe in my heart of hearts that we live in the best daggone country ever created by fallible man. Not a perfect country. But the best we can make it. In spite of the trash other people talk about us all the time (and I've heard it all, believe me), I know who we truly are. I know what the heart of America is...and it is good, and worth fighting for, worth protecting, even worth my life to ensure it survives.

So what does it mean to me? It means that I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. I am willing to stand up and say no, you will NOT take this region. No, you will NOT enslave these people. And I don't just sit on the sidelines and point fingers and trade barbs. I go out, get my gun, and make my point in a very real and unmistakable way. I have a job. I do it every day. And I wouldn't have it any other way.