Since this is Veterans’ Day, it is customary to thank the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces. This is an excellent custom and I appreciate the sacrifices that have been made for the country.
However, we should not limit our appreciation to having one day in their honor. Rather, we should ensure that the people who serve the country are treated with the respect that they have earned by such service.
Currently, we are actively involved in two wars (or one, if you want to group everything under the “war on terror). This situation will, obviously, create more veterans. Further, people will come out of these wars with serious physical and mental injuries. In the past, the United States has failed such soldiers. One example of this has been the Walter Reed scandal. There are, sad to say, many other examples as well including the poor living conditions that soldiers have faced in the United States. Such treatment of soldiers is morally unacceptable. Their service has earned them better treatment. Actually, merely being human beings entitles them to better treatment than some of them have received.
People in the government have been quick to talk about patriotism and supporting the troops. However, they have been rather slow to actually do things that would support the troops. Hopefully the situation will improve under the Obama administration.
I think for the most part, that the military has made huge strides during the Bush administration. The equipment being used is far better than it was ten years ago. We went decades with the same old stuff, and finally the Army took a good look at all of the equipment, from weapons, armor on vehicles, personal armor etc. Also, the benefits given to soldiers and their families are good. The new GI Bill may extend full education benefits to soldier’s immediate families. That is tremendous.
The number one thing to do for soldiers is provide them with the best equipment before we send them to fight. Plus, we must take care of their families. As my post commander said during my graduation from AIT: The soldiers are on loan from their families. The military exists to protect the American way of life, not to segregate its soldiers from it. Living conditions should be as good as the people soldiers fight for. I don’t want to complain too much about those conditions, but there is room for improvement.
I’m concerned about Barack Obama’s promise to slow America’s research on future weaponry. He explicitly promised this. It is wrong to ask me to defend my country with anything other than the best my country can realistically provide me. My weapons and armor should be the best in the world, at least on a brigade level.
While military spending should be reviewed so we are not wasting money, weapons research is critical to our defense and safety. History shows that you do not stay safe by letting your weapon technology lag behind. Besides, I’d really like to shoot a plasma gun someday. 🙂