The Emporia Gazette

Help Needed

First of all, outsidethebox is entitled to his own opinion and to express it as he sees fit, as guaranteed by the first amendment that so many soldiers fought and died for. While it may be distasteful or inappropriate in this context, he is nevertheless allowed to express it. Many Kansans seem to forget this only when someone has something to say that they doesn’t fit into their narrow-minded, conservative point of view (as a former Kansan and a very outspoken liberal, I know this first hand). Secondly, this is way off topic. No one asked if you agree with the war or the not. Supporting our soldiers DOES NOT mean you support our war. If you have any common sense, you are easily able to distinguish between the two. It means that you understand that sometimes people have to do what they are told, even if they don’t want to or don’t agree with it. That is a unique sacrifice that our service men and women make every single day. Have a heart and conscience. This is just basic compassion – if someone needs something and you have the means to provide them with it, then by all means do so. If you don’t want to, you are not obligated to. But don’t belittle or demean those who choose to give. Just like you have a choice not to, they have a choice to. There are two sides to every story. Always try to think about how you would react if the situation were reversed. Next, I doubt outsidethebox has any college degrees, or he would know how to spell, use punctuation, capitalize words and read what he just typed before hitting the post button. Educated people, like myself, are aware of all of these things.

Now finally, to MelissaE: HOW DARE YOU demean the role of officers in the military. Every single enlisted soldier could have been an officer, had they chosen to go to college and gone through ROTC, or if they had chosen to apply for an officer slot after having put in time being enlisted. My fiancé, a first lieutenant in the AF, is going to Baghdad in October for six months and I will be damned if his job won’t be just as dangerous as anyone else’s. No one’s life is a picnic over there. Without leadership, no organization runs effectively and efficiently. Someone must be in charge, and everyone has a fair chance at it in the military if they work hard. And officers work very hard – trust me. They must take time away from their families to complete extra training, work long and hard hours when all the enlisted people get to go home to complete duties above and beyond their normal scope of work and have the extra responsibility of being in charge of people’s well-being as a leader. So, maybe you should think twice before you assume anything about a job that you have never done. Thanks. Stephani from Spokane.

June 28, 2007 at 4:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )