The following is written by my friend Jennifer B, whom I served beside during my time in the Army, reposted with her permission. All words following this sentence are hers.
United States Armed Forces are not a football team. “We” are not going
“to go to Syria and kick some ass.” “We” are going to be watching it on
the news while we stuff food in our faces in our nice, insulated homes
whilst sitting on nice, fluffy couches. “We” will shake our heads, cheer
at victories, and maybe even shed a tear or two…but only if the war
doesn’t drag on too long, because then we will lose interest…and it
will probably never touch most of us in any significant way (exceptions
being for actual military personnel, deployed military contractors, and
their family members).
In the meantime, our servicemembers will
be fighting, bleeding, being blown apart and dying (not to mention all
the soldiers from the other side and plenty of civilians too). People
you don’t know and never will know. People who are willing to put their
asses on the line and do things you’d never dream of doing. And quite
honestly, they deserve better than to be viewed like a football team,
and offered empty platitudes when they return home.
War is no
joke, and it should always be a last resort. Our military is currently
engaged in two fronts, and doesn’t need to be in a third. There are
plenty of other nations/coalitions of nations who have the capability to
intervene in Syria.
We cannot be everybody’s saviors.