Freedom

Joesixpack says--Freedom is expensive folks!  Expensive in $$$$$$, in lives, in hurts, and misery!  Approximately 1.2 million Americans died fighting for our freedom.  Approximately 620,000 in the Civil War.  103,000+ in WWI, 418,000+ in WW II, 36,000+  in the Korean War, 382 in the Gulf War, 58,000+ in the Vietnam conflict, and 6,000+ in our current war on territory.  Freedom is not cheap folks! 

I interviewed Bruno Peters, age 93.  He was a Corporal in the Advance 12th Air Force during WWII.       Bruno left for war at the age of 29 and spend 4 years in Africa, Italy France and Germany.  He said he had the choice to be a MP or a cook.  He decided to be a cook and ended up cooking for the general.  They often would trade Army stuff for food for the general (e.g. the general told them to trade for some eggs as he was hungry for eggs but don't get caught doing it).  He said--We ended up doing more than just cooking for the staff, we took care of them.  If you want freedom (i.e. win the war) there are a lot of people have to die; ya gotta go in there and kill a lot of folks which also means a lot of Americans get killed too.  Not just a couple once in a while the way we fight now.   Sooooo Bruno, were you married to Kathryn before you left for the war--no, I didn't get married as I didn't know if I would return and many Americans didn't.  War changes soldiers.  They develop a lot of courage as most don't care anymore, they have seen so much death; they just want to fight for America's freedom.  Bruno said--I know what the troops are going thorough in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I think we should get out of there; we can't cure the mess; they will always hate each other; let's take care of the folks back home.  Soooooooo Bruno, tell me more about freedom that you fought for--When WWII was over it was good in our country but it seems like it is falling apart; folks want money but don't want to work; The Good Lord will provide but ya gotta work a little too!  He said the Air Force would fly over the cities at night and drop pamphlets telling the folks that in the morning the city would be destroyed; if you stay you will probably die.  The next morning they would destroy the city (i.e. that was nice of them to warn them).  Destruction and death are part of freedom he said. 

I interviewed my friend Sergent John Harms Company K 126 Infantry 32nd Division about freedom.  John is 91, a WW II vet who fought in Australia and New Guinea.  He knows what war is and has seen it at ground zero folks.  John says--Freedom is expensive.  He spend almost 4 years in war.  It's a lot different when your life is at stake compared to paying some taxes to support our military.  You either kill or be killed.  You as an infantryman have no choice when an order comes down; you do as your are told. It's not much fun when you have a machine gun barking at you.  He went on to say--We fought for the folks back home (i.e. good ol' United States of America and for it's freedom).  Many folks don't realize that war is terrible, brutal and cruel (i.e. the price that we pay for freedom).   Many many folks got killed fighting for this freedom that we enjoy today.  We need to appreciate it and cherish it. 

I was heading to the golf course for my early morning walk.  I walked past Oscar Meyer's place.  Oscar was taking his garbage bag to the the end of his drive.  I told him that I just visited with his buddy Bruno in the nursing home.  His room is across from my neighbor's.  What's wrong with your neighbor anyway?  Oh he has some walking issues, back problem and shingles--shingles, they're ugly--ya they can be--I got this gout that I can't get rid of--life is not perfect--by God, it sure isn't--how old are you anyway--92--did you ever think you would get to 92--no way, I didn't think I'd live through the war!  This is what Staff Sargent Oscar of the 297th Infantry a branch of the 4th Infantry said--Freedom is pricey!  Oscar spend most of his 4 years in Alaska and Alabama as a drill Sergent.  How were you selected for that position--Sargent Paul Christiansen liked me and took me under his arm or I would have gone to the front lines probably; I was just lucky I guess--soooo what did you drill them--learn to use your rifle very well as you will kill them or get killed; they knew that some of them were not coming home alive; they knew that soooo I told them by God learn and listen to what I tell you--hell, shoot first and ask questions later.  We ended our conversation with him showing me his little bottle of nitro pills and said--By God freedom is pricey and it's going to get worse!

I asked my friend, my mentor, my professor (i.e. also a  85 year old WWII vet) to write about freedom.  This is what he wrote--In America we enjoy Freedoms that many countries in the world do not have.  Those freedoms were won or extended through our past wars.  In world wars, many of our fighting people gave up their lives to maintain our freedoms for us.  These people were mostly 18 to 24 year olds and they certainly did not want to die.  Many died in some hell hole of a place in great pain crying for their mother.  This freedom that solders fight for give us four basic freedoms 1. Freedom from want 2. Freedom from fear 3. Freedom of speech 4. Freedom to worship God as we wish.  These came to us at a high price.  Young lives given for us is priceless.  I had a friend who was in the battles in Italy in WWII.  He told me he got up one morning wishing that he got his today.  He had seen so many of his friends killed and wounded and lying in agony that he couldn't take it any more.  Can you imagine such a mind set?  We all should stop once in a while and thank those who made it possible for us to enjoy the freedoms we have been given.  Ivan Harken LfJG U.S. Navy

I asked a friend Les Raish to write about freedom.  Here is his response.  --  I enlisted in the U.S. Navy 1965 during the Viet Nam conflict (Yea, Right…conflict) because the big draft was imminent during that time when any man turned nineteen years old. You had the choice of either being drafted into the Army for two years or join any elected military for four years. Of course, majority of the Army solders where shipped or stationed in Viet Nam to build a military force to do “a police action for the people of Viet Nam” by President Johnson…….  ~  My thinking! “This is a no brainier. I’ll be safe in the Navy because North Viet Nam did not have a Navy.” (Think a little deeper son! How are we fighting this war?) Low and behold after 9 months of training on aircraft jet engines I was based in NAS Miramar (where ‘Top Gun’ was filmed) with a F4 fighter squadron. The squadron was VF-143 which deployed every 9 months to the Tokin Gulf to bomb North and South Viet Nam. I was assigned to the flight deck of the USS Constellation for the first cruise which we would average 300 tons of bombs a day with our normal missions. The flight deck was a very dangerous assignment, especially at night, with the recovery and launches of aircraft. Yes, I have a few stories if you are willing to listen some time.  ~  June, 1967, strapping in my Commanding Officer and his Radio Interceptor Operator to be launched off, was one of my life changing experiences, understanding ‘Freedom is not free‘. Forty five minutes later, they were shot down in North Viet Nam. Yes, they were captured, beaten, tortured for 6 years in Hanoi Hilton with Lieutenant John McCain, who in his book describes the daily routine of being a Prisoner of War. These men loved their country and fought the painful harassment of being an American. Even our soldiers taking cover in the fox holes and walking the jungles with wet socks either sacrificed their limbs or lives. And yet today, we have those who walk in the oppressive desert heat of men and women trying to share with others, “that little taste of Freedom”. The list goes on and on. ~  Freedom is a Blessing that all mankind strive throughout human history. Freedom is the Privilege to worship our own God. Freedom is the privilege to own our own home, advance our children’s’ education, criticize our own government without the fear of the dreaded knock in the middle of the night. Yes, Freedom is very precious to me and sometimes abused for those who do not understand “What really is Freedom.”  ~  Freedom is not FREE! We have been given to us by our fore-fathers, our past generations of sons and daughters giving the ultimate sacrifice, for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Sacrifices where and are still being made in many ways. Either serving the country, by our mothers and fathers praying for their sons and daughters to come home safely, or aiding your neighbors during troubled times. This is FREEDOM. God, Country, Family, Self! ~  We sometimes complain about our Government, the conditions of the economy or the next door neighbor, forgetting and taking for granted of what we have. Next time, remember this 4th of July, what the Flag really represents, from those who sacrificed to “Let Freedom Ring.”

I asked Casey Dix (i.e. currently in Afghanistan), a friend who attends the same church as we do to write about freedom.  This is what he wrote--I enlisted into the Iowa Army National Guard in 2003, a few years after the events of 9/11 and the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I’ve been with HHC 1-133rd IN BN based out of Waterloo that whole time and have deployed with the unit twice now. I was deployed to Camp Al Asad, Anbar Province, Iraq from 2005-2007 and am currently deployed to FOB Mehtar Lam, Laghman Province, Afghanistan. There is always a reason young men and women join the services, it would be hard to say that 9/11 was not mine. But I don’t think I ever really thought about why, why was that date the catalyst that got me to join. Maybe I joined out of some sort of precedence set by the generations of Americans before me. Or I joined with the understanding that this was going to be the defining moment of my generation and I didn’t want to get left behind. Perhaps I joined thinking I could make a difference. The most likely answer is that the basic idea of Freedom was attacked that day. Freedom is flying the American flag in your front yard. Freedom is giving respect to veterans young and old. Freedom is the house, car, family you always dream of. Freedom is running down to the pool for the afternoon. Freedom is a Sunday drive. Freedom is an afternoon picnic. Freedom is sleeping in. Freedom is a general feeling of safety. Freedom is the ability to do what you want, when you want, how you want. Freedom is never truly appreciated by those who have it and never fully coveted by those who have never experience it. Freedom is something that seems expected or deserved nowadays. What we as a country, society don’t fully understand is these freedoms we enjoy as Americans aren’t free, there is a cost. That cost, more times than not, is ultimately paid for with the lives of men and women in the arm services fighting in another country across the world, separated from family and friends. So when I think of Freedom, I think of the 6031 brothers and sisters in arms that have died since 9/11 (3 of them from my Battalion) and what they were fighting for.

IthcieBitchie says--I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 42 to join the military. They've got the whole thing ass-backwards. Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35. For starters: Researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a day, leaving us more than 28,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy. Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. 'My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry'. We are impatient and maybe letting us kill some asshole that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for a while. An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10 a.m. Old guys always get up early to pee, so what the hell. Besides, like I said, 'I'm tired and can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical s.o.b. If captured, we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser. Boot camp would be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at, and we're used to soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years, as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling. An 18-year-old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start up a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head. These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way. Let us old guys track down those dirty rotten coward terrorists. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple of million pissed off old farts with attitudes and automatic weapons who know that their best years are already behind them. ***How about recruiting Women over 50...in menopause!!! You think Men have attitudes!!! Ohhhhhhhhhhhh my God!!! If nothing else, put them on border patrol...They will have it secured the first night!

Thanksamillion Bruno, Oscar, John, Ivan, Les, and Casey.  Your feelings are really touching and real.  You are truly America.

Appreciate our freedoms this 4th of July my friends unless you have other plans.

erv