Veritas

The idea that my right to "free speech" exists because some dude died in a war a hundred years ago is definitely absurd. I already naturally possess the faculties necessary for free speech.

It is also commonly implied that the soliders are altruistically sacrificing themselves for the rights of the common peoples in the areas that they are fighting. I find this even more nonsensical.

Sure we all have the faculties necessary for free speech! They are God given to all. but what most are talking about there is the right to excercise that free speech, to burn a flag or protest a KIAed soldier's funeral ceremony and not be prosecuted by the government for it and put in prison or assulted by others without satisfaction in the courts.

I am not going to get into the Iraq war because I think the whole debate has become childish on both sides, but We did fight in Europe not just for our own preservations but for the preservation of Western Civilization, and yes for the liberties of the French, the British, the Jews, and the large number of dissenting Germans and Italians.

Now for Veritas. You are right on. the majority of people say this and even vetrans will say it. Its nothing more than a guilt trip  96.7% of the time! and I don't know if I even believe it because in an informal discussion I was in with other soldiers during basic training we were trying to rally morale, and we were talking about why we were doing this. At the beginning of basic we had a formal discussion as to why each of us joined, 3/4ths of my platoon said they either joined for college or for the bonus. So my morale already being high I thought it a good time to give a lesson and to explain what I had said in the more formal discussion weeks earlier, and defined Liberty.

I said I had joined to defend the right of people to protest the war. for the people of California to legalize gay marriage. for the people from Westboro Baptist Church to protest the funerals of our soldiers. and for hippies to burn and spit on the Flag of the United States.  I really did join the Oklahoma National Guard for these reason and many others. The point I was trying to make is that Liberty isn't always "pretty" and often times it goes against things we find personally repugnant. like... well pretty much everything I mentioned above at least in my personal values system. I tried to explain that Liberty was more important than our own personal convictions as to the right and wrong of victimless acts.

as you can gather I talked for a while. but just a short while. it was no more than 5 minutes before one of them went and taddled on me to the drill sergeant and the rest were trying to figure out which on of them was going to hit me first.

The Drill sergeant was just as upset until I was able to explain to him what Liberty meant. he got the point but insisted that Basic Combat training was not the place for "politics101"

Some are fighting for your right to protest. I am. and others are too. most are in the National Guard of the Southern States but even these are sparse.

and of course these are not the issues of Iraq. if we LOST is Iraq the first amendment would not dissappear. but it is the oath we took. to defend the constitution. that is what I mean. that I am training to (and would ) fight to defend the constitution. and even when a war is bad or even unconstitutional, a proffessional soldier has to keep in mind, the ideas he is fighting for, not simply the mission objective.