PB3

Shortly after I started teaching, I was busy at my desk trying to come up with a sea story to lighten up a lecture on the intricacies of the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883, when a student came up to me with tears in her eyes. “I’m last in the class”, she moaned. “Well, someone has to be last”, I replied. She quickly turned around and left. I immediately realized my mistake and tracked her down. We talked about what she could do to improve and that was the end of it. As I recall, she did in fact bring up her grade significantly. I don’t remember anything I said in the second conversation but I remember precisely the first. Unfortunately, I’ll bet the student does too.

Something similar happened yesterday. A friend with whom I often engage in what I consider witty repartee, came up to me with tears in her eyes and said, “My son has just left for Iraq. How should I feel?” I replied, “Happy”. Then I muttered some other inane platitudes and went on my way. Here’s what I wish I had said.

“Mom, you should feel scared and proud. Scared because bad stuff can happen in the military. The odds are very, very slim but your son could be hurt, not to mention killed. It is now estimated that over half of those who experience combat suffer some sort of psychological problems. (I’ve never been in combat. But it seems to me if you DIDN’T suffer psychological damage you must already have been a psycho.) And then there is the frequent opportunity for injury just in training.

But we all have to live in dread of the late night phone call, especially those of us with loved ones away from home. Depending on what is going on, the military is usually far safer than many other occupations. And safety is a religion in the military. Your son is among professionals who care about his welfare and will be doing absolutely everything that can be done to keep him alive and well.

Most of all, however, you should feel proud. Your son is among a small group of America’s best who have volunteered to serve their country at a time when it is not fashionable to do so. He didn’t have to do this; there is no draft and we are experiencing the best job market in years. And over half of the people in our country think what he is doing is pointless. There is nothing in the desert but sand, heat, long hours, sand, fear, boredom, and sand. Then there are the people who apparently try to kill our guys only when they are taking a break from killing each other.

The fact that your son is willing to step up and serve says as much about you as it does about him. Being a soldier is to put the lives of others ahead of one’s own. Those people for whom your son is sacrificing may be Americans who are ungrateful and overfed, or foreigners with no understanding or appreciation of his attempts to give them the means for a better life. It doesn’t matter. To be a soldier is also to be an idealist; to believe that the words of the Declaration of Independence were true in 1776, are true now, and apply to everyone, American or not. The price of independence is paid by everyday people like your son who are willing to risk it all so that we and others can live free.”

You know I’m right. Have a great Fourth of July.