With no plans for Memorial Day, I was struck by the idea that perhaps I should do something with my children in the intended spirit of the day: honoring those who have given their lives in military service (regardless of whether or not we approve of any particular war, each soldier's death is a tragedy).
Commentator Chaos Control had an excellent idea: adopt a service member. I have signed up to adopt one, but there's a bit of a delay before one receives the name and address of one's assigned soldier. So that's in the works, but not likely to pan out before Memorial Day. If I get a male soldier, I promise to send all sorts of obnoxious porn I disapprove of on feminist grounds (that's the very purest sort of gift, when you send something the recipient wants which goes against your own grain). Our Ms. Drunken Housewife title holder TexzMissy is adopting one as well; join us!
And, in breaking news: This morning I received my adopted soldier's information. I have been assigned an 18 year-old private from the Bronx, stationed in Iraq. I'll put a package together over the weekend for him. Excited, I told the Sober Husband, "I got my adopted soldier!" He gave me a disapproving glare and said superiorly, "Perhaps I'll adopt an Iraqi." "Oh, I'm all for that," I said. "Go for it!" My friend Joyce suggested later that perhaps we could get my soldier to arm-wrestle the husband's Iraqi.
I don't know about the rest of you, but the fact I strongly disagree with the Iraq war makes me feel worse for the troops there. They are being asked to risk their lives and health in a stupid war which increasingly looks hopeless. At least the WWII soldiers could feel that they were making their sacrifices on behalf of a truly good cause, while veterans of unpopular wars are seen as chumps or villains. Having read "The Lucifer Effect", Zimbardo's brilliant analysis of how regular people behave evilly when placed in the wrong circumstances, I have all the more sympathy for the U.S. troops. If we think we would do better, we are most likely kidding ourselves. Iraqi civilians, U.S. military stationed in Iraq: I have sympathy enough for both sides.
6 comments:
You know, I would really love to adopt a jewish soldier, but (stop laughing) I can't find them. And when I e-mailed an organization that has people send care packages, to ask if I could send to someone jewish, they had no way of finding a jew for me.
if i could afford it. i'd totally join your efforts. you're doing a great thing. i'd ask for a humpy, buzzcut soldier who's horny enough to lower his bounderies when he's had a few beers. is that asking for too much?
Sending porn is forbidden, according to their website. But of course they have it. Maybe mislabelling it will be enough.
Hughman, I think you could ask for someone in the Navy, someone who has done submarine duty. My gay ex-BIL was in the Navy and he said there's a saying: "Twenty-two guys go down, and eleven couples come back." No matter how straight someone is, supposedly they can't stay celibate on a sub... "In the Navy, you can sail the seven seas! In the Navy! In the Navy!"
Green, I think they won't identify Jews for you because they are afraid that you are either anti-semitic OR a husband-hungry girl using the program for a dating service. The one Chaos recommended had verbiage all over about how "this is NOT a dating service." I think you could find a nice Jewish soldier through a temple, though. Do you ever go to temple? I have met a nice rabbi from the big liberal temple out on Arguello/Lake; our former babysitter is a greeter there.
A., I think some creative packaging is called for. A youth of concealing things from my overly conservative parents should come in handy.
I adopted a few back in the first gulf conflict. It was really great. Lately we've been doing the Gary Sinese project where you send school supplies that the troops distribute to Iraqi children. In fact I think it is called Operation Iraqi Children. http://www.operationiraqichildren.org. Great thing to do when the school supplies go on sale at WalMart!
My Brother in Law spent 18 months over there. He's been back for 2 years now. He is an army reservist. Every few months he has to go through a waiting game to find out if he's going back.
He's still not the same man he was before he went. You come home and no-one around you has any idea what it was like.
I hope he never has to go again.
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