Patriotism

Well, today I have been thinking a lot about the occasional patriot.  You know them, the holiday blow hard, that drunken and boisterous guy who on holidays decides to tell everyone how great America is.  I get a ton of emails around the big patriot days.  Why don’t I get any emails telling me how terrible the Japanese are around December 7 or why isn’t February 23 “Punch a Mexican Day”?  That was the first day of the siege of the Alamo for you non-patriots!  How about “Shoot a Yankee Day” April 12^th, or “Kick a Brit Day” April 19^th (Fort Sumter and Lexington/Concorde)?  Here’s the deal, I’m glad that people want to be patriots and appreciate our service men and women.  What I don’t want is to be bombarded with emails about what happened and where I was when.  I was laying on my couch nursing a hangover by drinking a beer when it happened.  If you want to be a patriot on just a couple of days a year that’s great, cook a burger on July 4^th, but leave me alone on 9/11 please.  If you want to be a holiday patriot do our service people a favor and go to the airport in Bangor, Maine.  They have a group of full time volunteers that spend 8 hour days there shaking the hands of returning members of the military.  Go to Camp Shelby, Mississippi and say good-bye to the young men and women who are leaving and may not get to come back through Bangor.  If your thoughts are to pick a day to express your political beliefs wait until it gets a little closer to voting time.  Don’t get me wrong, I would never want to belittle anyone’s sense of patriotism or pride.  It’s a great thing; it just gets a little exhausting sometimes to be on this side of it.  I remember being on the other side and swelling with pride for my family members on those special days.  On this side of it I get humbled when people express such pride and gratitude.  I also get disappointed on occasions as well.  My first deployment the sendoff was full of pomp and ceremony, there were parades, proud families, and strangers were all around to see the heroes on their way.  The second deployment had families everywhere crying, mothers sad to send off their little boys and girls for the first time.  My last deployment I said my good-byes to my family and went to work, those of us leaving got on a bus and went to the airport as a few people in uniform watched us drive away.  I love to see the pride that most people have in being an American, but when a years’ worth comes out on only a couple of days it gets exhausting.  I’m not asking anyone to not remember what happened, what I’m asking is that you remember those who struggle on a daily basis with the loss of friends.  I didn’t know anyone in those towers or anyone who was at the Pentagon that day.  I have known people since then who didn’t return to their families.  I have known people who came home with fewer body parts than they left with, severe depression, mental disorders, and many other problems.  On a daily basis the majority of people in the military don’t even remember September 11^th, we remember other days.  My wish isn’t to ask people to not be patriots, my wish is that people would be patriots every day.  Visit a veteran’s hospital, donate time and or money to Operation Homefront, Wounded Warriors, or Disabled American Veterans.  We as members of the military ALWAYS appreciate the thanks and love of the citizens of our nation.  I would never want anyone to think otherwise, but please remember that there are those in your own community who still won’t have their legs, arms, eyes, etc. tomorrow either.