Country Above Self?

Since the recent setback in the war on terrorism, many poeople throughout the international coummnity has played down Bushie's so called liberation of countries. As for the regular soldier's point of view, all of them have sworn allegiance to protect the country from both foreign and domestic threats and will do anything under the order of the chief-in-command. Even we as citizens of our country has a role to play in each of our country.

The Price of Loyalty

Nov. 7, 2005 issue - The posthumous Purple Heart rested near the folded American flag on the modest dining-room table of his parents' home in Cleveland. Edward (Augie) Schroeder, a Boy Scout turned Marine, was killed along with 13 other soldiers on their fifth trip into Al Hadithah, Iraq, to clean out insurgents. Their fifth trip. "When you do something over and over again expecting a different result," Augie's grieving father, Paul, told me, "that is the definition of insanity." As the death toll of American soldiers in Iraq reached 2,000 last week, Paul Schroeder concluded that the military had not sent enough troops to Iraq to do the job properly and that the president was incompetent: "My son's life was thrown away, his death was a waste." Then, noting that he shared a birthday with his boy, he broke down and said he would not be able to celebrate his own birthday anymore.

How many of you here would be compelled by patriotism to do whatever your country orders you to do? And I mean anything. Even invading another country?

For example, during WWII, the Japanese troops that we're part of the invading force are unhappy with the orders from the emperor but did so as they feel that they're bound by duty.

I, for one, won't do whatever my country orders me to if it doesn't seem right to me or even to the international laws. Don't get confuse with dying for your country and dying for the wrong cause.

I agree. I was thinking about this sort of thing the other day. I didn't think I wanted to fight in the USA army, because I don't know what I am fighting for anymore. I am confused about America's direction. I love the people here whether they are natural born citizens or not, and I like the idea of a free country. But I look at the USA flag that I have on the back window of my vehicle. What does it stand for anymore?

I realize that just because a terrorist in some country wants to blow up people, doesn't make the entire population terrorists. And just because some of my fellow Americans want to go and unethically invade and destroy things, doesn't make me feel I need to support the motion. If it's wrong, it's wrong. If being a patriot means blindly fighting foor a bad cause, then I guess I'm not a patriot. But I am patriotic to what this country should be, a land of freedom, opportunity, and non-prejudice for those who seek it. I say let the folks who want to fight go to some unpopulated area of the world and fight amongst themselves, and let the rest of us go on living our lives.

Troy