Honoring our soldiers and veterans on 11/11

Veterans Day in the USA. It's a bit strange to me after living in Israel for a few years. There's just not the level of seriousness and respect for the sacrifices of the military here as there is there. Maybe it's because most of us don't have to face those sacrifices in the US, because the threats to our security seems so far away, or because many of us feel that our military has been involved with a great many less-than-honorable battles. Americans ought to take a moment to recognize the many benefits they have because so many have made the choice to serve in the military, for better or for worse.

Since the end of the draft in the US, people have chosen to join the military for many different reasons. For some it is in the hopes of getting money for college. For others, the lack of job opportunities where they live drives them towards the one employer that actively recruits high school kids before they even graduate. Some join the military because it is a family tradition. Not a few spent their teen years playing first person shooters on Xbox and then imagine that the army will be a great big adventure. And then, there are those who sign up because of a deep sense of patriotism and purpose.

Whatever reason they join, they put their lives in the hands of an amorphous authority from the very moment they sign that contract. They sign away their constitutional rights in order to protect the Constitution. They give up their freedom, their schedules, their family time, and so many of the comforts of civilian life to follow the orders of strange people they never met before. They are broken in boot camp and rebuilt in specialist schools. Then they are broken again, in different ways, on the battlefield. They come home different every time.

Now, let me make it clear that I do not support the war in Iraq, and I think that we should have been out of Afghanistan ages ago; and yet, I honor the men and women who have gone over there and those who have served in support roles over here. When we disagree with the wars our leaders choose, we need to take our arguments to those leaders. The men and women in uniform gave up the right to chose their battles on the day they joined up. It is only through politics that we can change their fortunes. When it comes right down to it, we should all remember that it is those men and women in uniform who stand with the intention of protecting our right to use the political system to make those changes.

For my grandfather who spent his life in the Merchant Marine. For my father who served in the Air Force. For my brother who served in the Navy. For my friend who is serving this very weekend. For the Veterans For Peace who are taking a stand at Occupy protests around the country. For all the vets... One single day to honor them is not enough.