Re: Was Need Advice (tad long), now MY OPINION
(no name) ((no email))
Sat, 30 Jan 1999 14:10:11 -0600
Kent Williams <orange-eagle@JUNO.COM> wrote in part:
>I am sick and tred of people bristling at the very MENTION of the
>word military!!! Just who do you think won the rights and
>privledges you seem to enjoy, yet take for granted with your
>constant harping and whining about America having a military?
Let's see...I believe that people are "harping and whining" not
about us having a military, but rather having our youth *trained
up* as potential military personnel *without their consent or
desire* to do so.
That's why we have Junior ROTC in our high schools, and why we have
some Learning for Life/Explorer Posts which specialize in "military
science".
That's also why we have military academics and schools scattered
all over this land and why we have "direct programs" like our
service academics for our youth to enter in IF THEY SO DESIRE.
You won't get an argument from me, guy, of the importance of our
nation's military. Nor will you hear any complaints about the fact
that many of our citizens don't know and further don't care about
those men and women whom defend their nation and it's vital
interests around the world. In part, because we've done such a
great job in attracting people whom WANT to be soldiers, sailors,
airmen and Marines, and once getting them, we've done a decent job
in trying to make them happy as individuals as well as
servicemembers. The "battle's not over," however, or else we
wouldn't be seeing mass exodus of aviators to the civilian sector
for pilot positions; nor we wouldn't be seeing lots of computer
literate leaders leaving for "big business" and "bigger bucks" than
we, the citizens of the nation, can offer them in the military.
But you WILL get an argument from a present Army officer about HOW
we are "trying to mesh Scouting and the military together." They
DO NOT BELONG TOGETHER. The BSA realized this years ago, and our
Armed Services (in particular the Army and it's Reserve Components)
understands this keenly. The BSA doesn't "create soldiers." It
creates strong citizens of quality character. It is the
*military's role* to develop those strong citizens of quality
character into soldiers and leaders of soldiers. While I don't
disagree that the followship/leadership training, the
outdoorsmanship training, and the ideals of honor, duty to faith
and country, and adherance to a set of policies all make for good
entry-level soldiers IF THEY CHOOSE TO DO SO, the BSA isn't
*interested* in *creating soldiers*.
Somehow, some of our Scouters get the idea that the two *should be
together*, which is where the "bristling" you mention comes from.
I feel the same way. The two can work together (and have, many
times over the history of both organizations). The two can "play
off each other" (as witnessed during our last five National Scout
Jamborees) and provide REAL TRAINING for each other and their
interests. But when people read or hear or go to places whereby
the Scoutmaster is more like a Drill Instructor; or whereby the
Scouts themselves want to "arm themselves like Rambo" or "dress
like they're going to "the field" "...that's where the distinction
between a youth program aimed at character, citizenship and
personal fitness develop and an adult program aimed at developing
defenders of our freedoms, liberties and the American way of life
should END.
Remember, Kent, that our military protects BOTH those whom agree
with our way of life AND those whom do NOT agree with our way of
life. We protect both the rights of the Klansman, the "unibomber
types" and the "Y2K hermits" as well as the rights of the Rotarian,
the "wall street types" and the "computer wonks" (like some of us)
equally. That's the way the "source documents" of our nation were
written, and every few years, we get opportunities to not only
change and modify those "source documents" but those that we give
authority to carry those "documents" out for all of us.
One of the questions I'm asked often (not so much now as when I
lived in Kentucky) centered around the "rebel flag" sitting on my
desk. People would come into my officeroom, which had both the US
and World Scout flags displayed, as well as military decorations
going back to my enlisted time and some of my Scouting awards on
the walls. Books lined the walls and where there were no space for
a shelf, file cabinets were there. And they would see that flag.
"How can you, a Black man, sit here with that flag?" (Jessi HATES
that flag!), they ask.
"See my commissioning certificate over there?? It doesn't say that
I am to defend the United States against those that don't think the
same way I do. It says that I am to defend the Constitution of the
United States. In that document, it states that people have "free
will" to think and act for themselves and to assemble peacefully
together without harm. As long as the Klan or the AN or the
Skinheads do this, and as long as they don't cause harm to others,
I say "big deal". Let 'em meet. But when they become a "domestic
ememy", my obligation is to protect American citizens from them."
They always ask "how did I know so much about the Constitution." I
smile and point to my National Eagle Scout Association certificate
and to the uniform with the merit badges surrounding it. "Every
Eagle Scout has to know about the Constitution and what it means.
It's part of a merit badge called Citizenship in the Nation. If I
ever had *my way*, it would be required before a Scout could earn
First Class, the half-way point in Scouts. That's how I know."
Two different purposes, Kent, for our military and our national
youth movements. Even though the youth movements were started by a
military officer, the youth movement's purpose is to provide it's
country with citizens that can think, behave, and act for
themselves and whom can take care of others in a pinch. And the
less conflicting "behaviors" with the purposes of our military
establishment, the better they will be as citizens, leaders in
their communities AND as soldiers and leaders of soldiers when the
time comes and we need them OR they come willingly to make their
contribution to our nation and to everything it stands for.
Settummanque!
(c) 1999 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") blkeagle@mninter.net
http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle Burnsville, MN 55306-7130 (612) 435-3068
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@server.kaiserslautern.army.mil
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