"More than one Marine parent has held their tongue"

We didn't catch the words, but the picture is worth a thousand in this late afternoon live Pentagon press conference on claims of Koran mishandling.  As far as we can tell, anti-American types are jubilant because MSM spin of a new Pentagon report avers Koran bashing happened.  What the report actually says is that terrorist prisoners claim Koran bashing happened, and as we know, that is what they are trained to say when caught.

"More than one Marine parent has had a well-meaning friend tell them, upon learning that a child was leaving for the sandbox, 'I know how you feel, my son/daughter is leaving for college soon.' And more than one Marine parent has held their tongue, knowing that there is no comparison between the two events," writes Deb of Marine Corps Moms, sharing a totally awesome sermon from a father, Rev. Charles Rush from Christ Church in Summit NJ, who has done both:

My son and his fiancee flew from Kandahar to Uzbekistan to Kuwait City and then to Frankfurt where they were on standby and were the last two people on the plane to Newark. The pilot on the plane announced to the passengers that they were on leave from Afghanistan and coming home to get married. They were easy for the other passengers to spot since they were in their fatigues, the only clothes they are allowed to wear on active duty. When they got on the plane the passengers stood up and applauded.

We put together a slide show of their childhoods for the rehearsal dinner. It was a delightful review of just what outdoor people both of them are, filled with the laughter that brothers and sisters poke at one another at shared memories. In the middle of the show I had a moment of emotional weakness, remembering a similar slide show that someone put together for a funeral I had recently attended.

How do these magnificent fellow citizens manage to soldier on?  We are in total awe.  Our own family has had no members of the military since our two grandfathers -- Goomp's father, known to us as Grandfather (who was an ensign in the U.S. Navy) and Mummy's father, Hubby (he was Estonian, and Grammy was Finnish), who served in the Tsar's Army in WWI. Rev. Rush continues:

It was festive, and the young people behaved with decorum. But at one point, I did notice one of our juniors doing a handstand on the keg, drinking beer upside down. 20-year-olds do things like that. I couldn't help but think for a moment of Lyndie England and a number of other 20 year old enlisted soldiers that made incredibly poor judgments that embarrassed our country. I couldn't help but think what Colonel's must think every month, without in the least excusing their behavior, the fact is that 20 year olds are capable of astonishingly poor judgment.

Important things to think about and talk about.  If only our so-called mainstream media had a clue of the issues we want to think and talk about.

Comments

[Mr.Kurtz]

We can be pretty sure that the parent who says they "...know how you feel" is not a vet. I think the proudest moment in my life was hearing my eldest daughter vent her frustration at the USMC for not providing the job opportunities that would have allowed her to go with the Iran hostage rescue mission.

I can't help but think how few 20 year-olds, especially in a combat zone, do behave like that and of what astonishing performance, courage and compassion they display every day.

As you know, I believe that media knows exactly what we think and care about.

[Sissy Willis]

You're right about the media, of course. Your daughter sounds awesome. :)

[Donna B.]

Though I agree that 20 year olds are capable of astonishly poor judgment, there's ample evidence that Lyndie England was an anomaly, not the norm. It sort of rankles me to see her compared to the average young soldier. The Abu Ghraib figure that is more comparable is the one that reported what was going on there - which was a breakdown in command, poor judgment of those way over the age of 20.

[Joyce Gilmour]

Marine Parents need each other.....and Marine Parents United is trying to make that happen at their conference. Please check it out at www.marineparentsunited.com Conference is the last weekend in July at Kansas City, Missouri.

[tealpaboohoro]

Make peace, not war!