On D-Day's 65th Anniversary, Americans' Reluctance to Serve Is Shameful

Honest Thoughts

There is much I could add. We are at a crossroads historiclly. The troops are the "thin red line"- they are the human version of Hadrian's Wall. September 11, 2001 briefly awoke a sleeping public, but they have resumed their slumber.

Human nature seems to guide us to delay painful or unpleasant prices. The price of freedom is not blood, but service. There are of course nexous moments in history when service requires that people bleed for their beliefs. The Jews in Krakow were not a legally constituted military force, but they knew that it was fight or die. Those men and women defeated a Nazi brigade. Those Jews in the ghetto of Krakow were placed in that situation because the Polish military was unable to stop a juggernaut. Polish soldiers died valiantly and fought nobly. In the end they were overwhelmed becuase like many European powers they chose complacency over preparation- they lulled themselves into believing that it would not happen to them.

Today we fight an asymetric enemy and the threat of nuclear proliferation and there is no "Hitler" hovering on our borders. This does not mean that the threat is less- just different. This was proven on September 11,2001.

Today we sit complacently withdrawn behind our technical and nuclear superiority, content in the knowledge that someone else will bear the burden, smug in the decision that we will serve when the enemy is at the gate.

Our young and not so young service members in the guard, reserve and active duty along with civilian law enforcement are carrying forward and are truly amazing. I have helped to bury a Marine and I pray that I do not have to do the same for my son, but why should he or I be exempt from a duty that should be borne by all? Those who do serve must not look backward and find that themselves alone- deserted by their countrymen.

Culturally the West is in an era that is very analagous to the 1920's and 30's. If we allow the analogy to continue we will find ourselves in a series of wars that could've been avoided. Perhaps we are already there.

Peace through Strength is not a philosophy it is a reality.

If my son or daughter chooses to follow me into the military I will be proud becuase they have chosen to serve others. Those of us who serve, serve so others can have a party in the backyard, go to a safe job and shop at the mall and pray in the mosque, church, synagogue or temple of their choice. We who serve want those things as well. Is it right that 99% should prosper by the sacrifice of 1%? What is the right percentage?

I only know I could not hold my head up high if I had not served my fellow man, my fellow Americans- if I was not part of that one percent.

what the?

i am a retired military member and i did not join because it is my duty, i had my own political reasons for joining. i would never agree to making people join the military, fight illegal fights and die for a piece of ground and to prove to the world that my god is better than their god beliefs. i can't understand how people salute a piece of cloth,it's a piece of cloth, it's not christ!and i never pledge allegience to a country so out of controll on fighting everybody. when i go to events and everyone rises, i stay put. when a service member dies, i salute the soldier because even though we see things differentaly, he still is my brother.

U.S.A.F. ret

Kudo's to Maj. (Ret.) Lewis

I am a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army, serving from August 1982 through September 2003. Over those years I was deployed or in some fashion supported conflicts in Central-America, Grenada, The Persian Gulf (1986 and 1991), the Balkans, Korea (The year I spent there in 1998/99 over 120 Korean soldiers on both sides were killed in armed conflict) Afghanistan, and Iraq. In between those deployments were countless mini-deployments to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin California, Fort Chaffee Arkansas, Fort Polk Louisiana, Aerial Gunnery at Fort Knox, Field exercises at Fort Campbell and Grafenwoehr in Germany. Not to mention the little known mission to keep the U.S. Embassy open in Beirut Lebanon, that took me on numerous deployments to the region from 1985 through 1992. The day-to-day operational tempo of the armed services are relentless and the soldiers at the unit level always ask "why are there not more of us to do all that is asked of us?" and "Why don't we get paid more for all that we do?"

I completely agree with Dr. Lewis that more citizens should serve in some capacity in the Armed Services. Most people seem to forget (or choose to ignore) that the military help to fight forest fires, perform disaster relief efforts, patrol the southern U.S. border, as well as search and rescue operations world-wide on a day to day basis, all while we fight on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many countries around the world have compulsory military/national service. The United States should institute the same thing. Our 30,000 soldiers in Korea are facing over one million North Korean soldiers today as I type this note.

I was medically retired due to Gulf War Illness, and I would still be proudly serving today if not for my premature (and unwanted) retirement. The VA is graciously sending me through college to retrain me for a civilian career, and I plan on using that degree upon graduation in May 2010 to re-enter the Department of Defense and continue to support both training and war until the day comes when I can no longer physically and/or mentally continue to serve.

My fellow Americans, please support our service-members through some type of service, whether it be by volunteering with the Red Cross, The U.S.O., the National Guard and Reserves, or on active duty. Contact your elected representatives and ask them to push for a larger military.

A large, strong, military is essential to a lot more then just fighting wars!