Sunday, February 21, 2010

The Military, Its a family affair.

Don't blame me, I'm just picking through the Sunday nusiance. Seems that AP has rediscovered that military service is a family tradition. It has a lot to do with the values we impart to our kids, and that our parents imparted to us.
I'm the bottom of my generation, youngest son of a youngest son. Most of my cousins are at least ten years older then me, a few are more then twenty. They, my cousins and elder siblings came of age during Vietnam, you know, the war where every one was drafted and dragged kicking and screaming to the induction centers. I don't know about your family, but all sarcasm aside, there were no draftees in my family. Those who served did so voluntarily, and there were many many of them.
Other military families I have met are the same. Dad served, uncle served, or some where back up the line, some one did. One tradition claims that no American war has been fought with out a Sgt York. They are proud of that claim and rightly so, but many families have a strong tradition.
Units like the North Dakota National Guard bring that to the front when family members serve side by side. Some times its brothers, other times father and son or mom or daughter. I read an article some time back about a unit in Iraq where the guy leading hte infantry platoon had dad for his batallion Commander, Grandpa for his Regimental commander, a brother commanding his artillery support, and a cousin in the air wing.
What is it that makes the diffrence? We also see families where medicine is in their blood, politics, and of course the old welfare family traditions. Is it upbringing, or genetics? Is there any more a patriot gene then there is a lazy gene? If there is, that patriot gene is in trouble, patriots die by the score these days, and welfare queens breed like rats.

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