Send-Off for the troops

[ewagner]

From today's paper:

Today's send-off
A parade to send off about 100 Marshfield Battery A soldiers of the 1st Battalion 120th Field Artillery Regiment will begin at 1 p.m. today from the Marshfield National Guard Armory and roll north to Fifth Street, where it will turn west and travel to Columbus High School.
Family buses and troops loaded into Humvees will be escorted by the Marshfield Police Department. A Marshfield Fire Department engine and the Cameron Volunteer Fire Departments will also participate.
A presentations by area dignitaries, local lawmakers and National Guard personnel is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. at the high school.

The Marshfield Civic Band will play in a salute to the troops and a number of local politicians will attend.


I don't know if I can bear to attend. A lot of my son's classmates are in this group and I knew most of them from Kindergarten, Cub Scouts, 5th Grade Basketball, Jr High and High School. But for some very fortunate events, I could be saying goodbye to my son this afternoon.

on edit: I am having some trouble with this whole thing. On one hand, I want the kids to know that I honor and respect them, but on the other I don't want to glorify....or, for that matter, DIGNIFY this f-ing useless war in any way. I love the kids like they were my own.

DAMN!

[ClassWarrior]

1. Go... Show them some love... Wear a Dem t-shirt or somesuch...

Take a sign that says, "I Support the Troops, Not the President**"... Of course take a flag... Do what you have to do, but GO... And do us proud, Ed.

My prayers are with you and your young friends.

Peace + NGU.

[ewagner]

2. Well, I went

I didn't (couldn't) stay for the ceremony inside the gym/field house. Somehow I knew it was going to be more than I could take.

There were banners, flags and people lined up all the way along the main street through town. The American Legion and VFW made sure everybody had a flag to wave. Something I thought was pretty touching, the Ford Heavy Truck Dealership which was on the route to the field house, made sure that the lights and flashers on every truck on the lot was on and blinking for the troops. Not only that, but as the troops came by, employees (mechanics, sales reps, janitors, secretaries etc) manned the trucks and blew the horns in salute to them.

In some ways, it was Americana at it's best.

At the Field house of the Catholic High School, there were two honor guards to lead the troops into the field house: One from the American Legion and the other from the Knights of Columbus. (Yes, I cringed a little but didn't make a fuss about it)

I was getting pretty emotional as the troops marched by to go into the field house.

There is only one thing noble about what these kids (and the older guys who are leading them) are doing: They are following in the best traditions of the American military in that they are faithfully carrying out the orders of their Civilian Commander-in-Chief.
That's the way its supposed to be. We can (theoretically at least) replace our Commander-in-chief through the elective process if he/she sends troops off to war contrary to our wishes. Our military doesn't wage war of it's own accord. It must be sent to war by Civilian leadership. The troops are following the letter and spirit of the Constitution. And that, my friends, is NOBLE.

Goodbye kids.

Godspeed.

[ewagner]

3. Pics

These are the trucks I was talking about above....you can imagine how LOUD they were....it was really sort of neat.



The guys in the hats are the K of Cs. The er, ah, PORTLY gentleman with the silver hair wearing the dark suit is the obligatory MAYOR.

Hooooha! Is this standard for every military unit now?

Troops lined up to go into the field house.

[sybylla]

4. Good for you, ewag

And you are right about the nobility of it all. These men and women have no say in where they're going or what they are doing. And I bet you a majority have a problem with it in some way.

You did the right thing. If I'd had a chance to pick up a paper in the past week, I would have tried to be there with you. Instead I was getting rained out at the Clark County Fair.

[ewagner]

6. I heard you

were busy at the Fair...I hope it's going well for you...

hope you can take time off to come to the picnic on Sunday....

e...

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

5. That's so hard... wishing them peace and safety in their service.

It's good of you to show your support for THEM... not their commander.