Members of the greatest generation

I've been pretty quite about my opinions on the Iraq War. I believe that this is actually the first time I've actually sat down and typed anything out really pertaining specifically to the War on Terror. Originally appearing in the April 2nd edition of The Easterner, here's what I had to say:

The generation of Americans that fought in WWII is frequently referred to as "The Greatest Generation" for their heroic and selfless struggle against Hitler and the Nazis. They stopped a heartless dictator from taking over the world and still managed to come home and be the backbone of a U.S. economy that boomed in the 1950s and '60s.

That has to be commended. The Axis Powers were very, very close to achieving their goals, and had it not been for the many young American men and women who sacrificed so much for the name of freedom, we might be living under a different flag today.

However, it must be said that there's a different "Greatest Generation" fighting at the moment. These are the men and women of the United States military currently in the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. While talk-radio pundits, newspaper columnists, know-it-all college students and Hollywood celebrities argue over the War Against Terror as if it's happening in their front yard next to their favorite Starbucks, these American soldiers are suiting up and going out into the war zone every day.

They're not finding new ways to degrade their opposing political party, they're not coming up with shock-value statements to push their own agenda, and they're not voicing their opinion on the war to get elected to office.

They're a quiet force of American soldiers that go out every day because it's their job and their duty. They're put in harm's way every single day. They're faced with decisions that are life and death and they don't get a parade or a TV interview when they come home.

Most Americans are in their own self-contained cocoon and very little of what's happening in the real world gets through to our thick, McDonald's-powered craniums. We see the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts as if they're happening over there, some far-off world that we'll never have to actually experience ourselves.

Is it because of oil? Will we get out of there? Is this the next Vietnam?

We throw these questions around because it gets good ratings and people tend to get riled up about it for discussion. But what does this really mean? The anti-war or pro-war sentiment in this country is so contrived because most Americans don't know what's really going on. We've reduced it to a pretty graphic on the evening news.

You know what? Our soldiers are there, they're in the thick of things. They experience things that most human beings shouldn't be exposed to. Some make the ultimate sacrifice, some perform heroic acts every single day without any acclaim, some have a spouse and kids at home waiting for them.

It's disgusting how much "the troops" are being tossed around by several different groups so they can push their agenda. They're not a spin word for politicians, they're everyone's father, mother, brother, sister, cousin, or friend. They're over there, while our leaders, celebrities and civilians are buzzing around in Porches, sipping lattes and making a slight moan about what's going on in those countries.

They're fighting for us, keep that in mind the next time you speak up about the war against terror. Whether or not you're for or against it, keep in mind that there are citizens of this fine country dying. Make sure what you say is intelligent. Make sure what you say has resonance and for God's sake, make sure you mean what you say.

I can't tell you how much I respect these people, because honestly, I'm not sure if I could do what they do. I'm not sure if I could handle the hellish conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan and I'm not sure if I have the guts to make the ultimate sacrifice for my country. I'm not sure if I'm man or woman enough to be even considered in the same category as our soldiers.

So don't boil this down into some sort of argument between neo-patriotism and anti-war fervor. It's more complicated than that, there are more layers to this conflict than most people can comprehend. Do some thinking before you hop on the for-the-war or against-the-war bandwagon, instead of just jumping blindly into the realm of opinion without having any real basis for what you believe.

It's that kind of blind opinion that gets us into big trouble. The people fighting for us deserve more than that.

Our troops are surely members of a "Greatest Generation," I'm just not so sure about the folks back home.