Today my son told me that he that has reenlisted in the Army for 6 more years. It did not come as a surprise as we had discussed the possibility via IM on Monday evening.
I am extremely proud of my son and I support him in this decision! He has discovered what he likes, he does it well, and he desires to continue making a contribution to his country. Should that we all are so lucky.
This decision will put him at around 13 years of service wehn this enlistment is up, which means that quite likely he has become a “lifer.”
Yet, as you can imagine, I am quite torn. I am completely against the uses to which our military has been put over the last several years, and quite likely will be over the next several. And this has absolutely nothing to do with whether it’s my child, your child, or someone else’s child on the line.
I’d like to share a bit of what Jeremy wrote today in his MySpace blog:
I love being a soldier. I am proud to put on my uniform every day. I was born into the Army thanks to my father, even if it isn’t perhaps a distinction that he enjoys at this point. I know he is proud of me though and both my parents support me in my decision, although they both would prefer that I hang it up. I understand that alot of people do not support the current political regime in the United States. However, I would hope that people understand that we as soldiers (at least at the point that I am in in my carreer) are not in the Army for the college money, the benefits, or that we are too stupid to do anything else. And we certainly are not in it for the money! We are also not sheep. I have very accute opinions on just about everything, even if I cannot express my views as openly as I would like. I signed up to defend this country and defend the Constitution. I have to follow whatever government that is elected by YOU whether I voted for them or not. It is an oath that I have taken three times now and one I take very seriously. I cannot call it quits just because I don’t want to go to war for a cause that I do not believe in. There is honor in fulfilling obligations and standing up for what you believe in, a concept some people do not understand.
I love my son very much and am very proud of him. I am overjoyed that he knows both of those things.
One last comment to the parents or soon-to-be parents out there. Be very, very careful with the examples you set for your children. Otherwise, you may well find yourself extremely proud of them for doing something that every fiber of your being wishes they were not.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Laura // Jul 27, 2006 at 11:44 am
I’ve always been sure that if I ever had a daughter, she’d be a cheerleader and join a sorority, just to spite me.
2 Mark // Jul 27, 2006 at 11:55 am
LOL. Thanks for that Laura! As you probably know, this has nothing to do with that, but you were most likely trying to remind me that, in general, parents or damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
3 Em // Jul 28, 2006 at 8:04 am
To the surprise of no one who knows you, you’ve raised a son with integrity and thoughtful consideration of his decisions and their consequences. His viewpoint needs to be heard by the many who make assumptions about those who serve in the military, and I’m glad he could express it.