Support the Troops has been almost a battle cry of a majority of the American public since our foreign deployments began after 9-11. The outpouring the vocal support has been overwhelming and in stark contrast to what veterans of the Viet Nam War experienced. That was a shameful chapter in our American public's history for their incomprehensible behavior towards veterans, and I will leave it at that.
Starting with the Persian Gulf War in 1990-91, yellow ribbons for remembering deployed troops have permeated most sectors of our society. We wear them on our lapels, place them on our vehicles, and decorate our yards with them. Did anyone ever stop to think that this phenomenon came from the song entitled "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" (1973) by Tony Orlando? In it, he asks his sweetheart to do as the song asks if she wants to see him again because he is being released from prison. I'm not quite sure how this action became a trend, but the yellow ribbon campaign has taken on a life of its own. How many other ribbon campaigns can you think of that have followed suit after the yellow ribbon? It almost seems as if every cause has a ribbon of their own now.
Every time I deploy, I've gotten a lot of people asking if they can send me care packages. They've heard horror stories about Service Members not being able to get basic items such as toiletries, etc. That hasn't been the case in a very long time, typically only after initial invasions before supply lines for AAFES can be set up. But care packages are always welcome. My favorite thing to receive is baked goods. Aside from the fact that they're just plain yummy, it shows that someone put some effort into it instead of just buying a bunch of things at a store and sending them off. Additionally, you can share baked goods with your buddies, and that makes everyone feel better and it's a win-win situation.
Occasionally I get people I don't even know offer to send me care packages either through Facebook or just a chance meeting in person before I deploy when it comes up in conversation. I typically tell them to donate to the USO (http://www.uso.org/) or the "Any Soldier" program (http://www.anysoldier.com/). Occasionally I have someone ask about sending contraband. Specifically alcohol and pornography are forbidden here, but I've had a large number of people tell me that they were willing to send it to me. I always turn down this generous offer since I have no intentions of getting in trouble for violating General Orders. (I'll write more about those later)
As I do sometimes, I step up on my soapbox for a moment to say my piece. Today's topic is about not supporting the troops, or at least not doing it the right way. I've noticed a lot of people have adopted the mantra of "I support the troops, but I don't support the war." I'm sure they mean well, but this is a slap in the face of everything good we are doing while deployed. If you ask Service Members, the majority want to see these conflicts through to the end as we believe in the good we are currently doing, no matter the reasons we got into the conflicts in the first place. When you say you don't support what we are doing, it negates or minimizes our efforts, and that is not support in the least. I realize many people have very strong feelings against our current conflicts and I respect those. I only ask that you don't use those two contradictory phrases together. Imagine telling someone I like you, but I don't want to be around you. The negative contraction negates any positive that comes before it. Just think about that before you caveat your support. True support comes with no strings.
More to follow.
Starting with the Persian Gulf War in 1990-91, yellow ribbons for remembering deployed troops have permeated most sectors of our society. We wear them on our lapels, place them on our vehicles, and decorate our yards with them. Did anyone ever stop to think that this phenomenon came from the song entitled "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" (1973) by Tony Orlando? In it, he asks his sweetheart to do as the song asks if she wants to see him again because he is being released from prison. I'm not quite sure how this action became a trend, but the yellow ribbon campaign has taken on a life of its own. How many other ribbon campaigns can you think of that have followed suit after the yellow ribbon? It almost seems as if every cause has a ribbon of their own now.
Every time I deploy, I've gotten a lot of people asking if they can send me care packages. They've heard horror stories about Service Members not being able to get basic items such as toiletries, etc. That hasn't been the case in a very long time, typically only after initial invasions before supply lines for AAFES can be set up. But care packages are always welcome. My favorite thing to receive is baked goods. Aside from the fact that they're just plain yummy, it shows that someone put some effort into it instead of just buying a bunch of things at a store and sending them off. Additionally, you can share baked goods with your buddies, and that makes everyone feel better and it's a win-win situation.
Occasionally I get people I don't even know offer to send me care packages either through Facebook or just a chance meeting in person before I deploy when it comes up in conversation. I typically tell them to donate to the USO (http://www.uso.org/) or the "Any Soldier" program (http://www.anysoldier.com/). Occasionally I have someone ask about sending contraband. Specifically alcohol and pornography are forbidden here, but I've had a large number of people tell me that they were willing to send it to me. I always turn down this generous offer since I have no intentions of getting in trouble for violating General Orders. (I'll write more about those later)
As I do sometimes, I step up on my soapbox for a moment to say my piece. Today's topic is about not supporting the troops, or at least not doing it the right way. I've noticed a lot of people have adopted the mantra of "I support the troops, but I don't support the war." I'm sure they mean well, but this is a slap in the face of everything good we are doing while deployed. If you ask Service Members, the majority want to see these conflicts through to the end as we believe in the good we are currently doing, no matter the reasons we got into the conflicts in the first place. When you say you don't support what we are doing, it negates or minimizes our efforts, and that is not support in the least. I realize many people have very strong feelings against our current conflicts and I respect those. I only ask that you don't use those two contradictory phrases together. Imagine telling someone I like you, but I don't want to be around you. The negative contraction negates any positive that comes before it. Just think about that before you caveat your support. True support comes with no strings.
More to follow.
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