Wednesday, July 2, 2003
|
Wednesday, July 2, 2003 |
|
Thoughts go overseas this week By MICHAEL
BOYLAN This is the first year that my friend, Chris, will not be stateside for the Fourth of July. This year, he celebrates Independence Day in Tikrit. Though he still follows Red Sox baseball here and there through use of the Internet and watches DVDs on his portable DVD player on those rare occasions that he gets the chance, the Fourth of July will likely be just another day as he counts down to that box on the calendar where he gets to come home. Chris is in the Army. Before heading into Iraq, he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He entered the reserves when he was in college, stayed out for a few years working in landscaping and decided to go back into the service to pay for law school. He works for the Judge Advocate General's office and claimed that in Iraq he would most likely be working in an office and doing the same things he was doing in Texas, namely paperwork and research. Is that what he's doing now? I couldn't tell you and I don't think he can tell me. What can he say about Iraq? Try this on for size. "Imagine going into a sauna, wearing boots, pants, a shirt and a jacket, spreading sand all over the place and then bringing in a fan to blow the sand around. That's Iraq." Ouch. He's alive, though. I check the newspaper everyday, making sure that he didn't get popped by some sniper. I thought that when the war was declared over, he was safe as kittens. He'd be helping grateful Iraqi people out, as part of the team that hooked up water and electricity and restored order. I've pictured him handing out chocolate bars to little Iraqi children, while the statue of Saddam got dragged around the block a couple more times. Of course, when I really think about it, chocolate wouldn't last in all of that heat. Seriously, though, I'm sure lots of people over there are grateful for what the U.S. did, but others just don't give a hoot and I'm pretty sure they never did. We don't understand their religion or their politics or their history or their socio-economic status. We know of them, but we don't really get it. We never will. These are some of the poorest people in the world. They have lived in a violent world with little hope for centuries. There are a number of different religious groups that want power and control and they are not afraid to shed blood to get it. Removing Saddam was an important first step, but there are thousands of more steps to take. I wonder if Chris really wanted to take those steps. He was psyched about going. During his stint in the Army, the farthest he went was Texas. I know he wanted to have the experience of being overseas and helping his country however he could. He was also looking forward to the increase in pay. But I'll bet if you asked him, or any soldier, what they thought they would be doing over there, this would not have been it. I don't think they would have thought that they would be in danger of sniper attacks after the end of the war had been declared. He's not complaining though. He signed up and he'll do what is asked of him. No questions asked. That is what it means to serve this country. You do all you can when you are asked to and you have faith that the leaders know what they are doing. The job of the Armed Forces is to protect the United States and make it the strongest country possible. I am proud of Chris and the rest of the troops over there. I know they are doing their job to the best of their ability. I hope they get a decent Fourth of July this Friday and I hope that time flies and they get back stateside as soon as possible. Chris thinks he will be back before Christmas and he is planning on driving through Georgia on his way back up to Massachusetts. I'm looking forward to hearing about his experiences over there. I'm also looking forward to not scanning the paper or that ticker under the news on CNN looking for his name. As you look at the flag and tap your toes to patriotic tunes this Friday, keep in mind that there are people in harm's way who are sworn to defend this country. Send them good thoughts and know that they are over there thinking of you as well.
|
