Tag Archives: military

Act of Valor

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I should never have said I was going to post twice a week. I was doing just fine before, managing to at least post once a week but I just had to go and jinx myself. Before I knew it a whole week had passed and then two….gotta delete that bit about twice a week posts, can’t have you guys thinking I’m a flake lol.

We went to see Act of Valor this past Friday and I loved it. If there was such a thing as a required list of films for every American then this movie needs to be on that list.

This movie made it clear how much these special forces and our military do to protect not only our country’s interests but our very lives as well, and most of the time, we don’t even know about it.  Act of Valor is of course about the Navy Seals and yes they are exceptional and extremely well trained.  You have to be pretty jaded if you don’t walk away from this movie without gratitude and appreciation for this elite force, for their training but also for their dedication and loyalty to each other, to their country and to all of us as well.

I’m well aware that the military has a lot of detractors and critics. I also know that the military has more than it’s share of screw-ups and mishaps so some of that criticism is justified.  Still, taking everything into consideration, our men and women serving in the military deserve a lot more  respect and gratitude than they get. Some will argue that they’re paid for what they do and that’s all the gratitude they need.  They say why do I need to thank someone for doing something that they’re paid to do?  They even say that these soldiers chose this job or career for themselves and that it wasn’t forced upon them.

All of that is true.  Our soldiers are paid and our soldiers did choose to go into this career of their own free will.  But let me ask you this, what if everyone was like you and does not want or choose to serve in the military?  What if everyone was like you and would rather let someone else put their lives on the line, pay or no pay?  Who then will protect and die to keep you and your family safe?

As a military wife and a military mother, I’m admittedly biased so I guess you can dismiss this as an overly sentimental military post.

Regardless, I do want to say that I have the utmost respect for all the men and women of our military.  I salute them.  Our son said it best…this is the son that is in college and not in the military. He and his girlfriend saw the movie together and at the end of the movie, he made the comment “we need to go home and hug our dads right now.”  Her dad is military too.  So to all of you, our military community, thank you, and if you’re reading this and have a family member or a friend in the military, please thank them, heck go ahead, give them a hug as well.

One more thing, if you’re only looking to be entertained, then don’t go see this movie, find one with real Hollywood actors who are great at that – acting and making believe.  If you’re looking for a little taste of what it’s like to do what these military men do, then go see Act of Valor.  These soldiers aren’t playing at being soldiers, they actually are real soldiers.

“For all those who’ve been down range, to us, and those like us — damn few.”

More of the Same

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It’s election year again and I for one can’t wait until it’s over. Frankly, I’m tired of the same rhetoric every election year. I should warn you that I’m very wary of most politicians and their promises.  Is it the job that makes them so crooked and power hungry? An honest politician – the oxymoron of the day. So, as we gear up again for November, we’re hearing the same song and dance again. Promises, and more promises, that we all know will probably not happen.

We must all suffer from short-memory syndrome or something like that. Either that or hope springs eternal for us to believe in politicians year after election year. Well, the alternative isn’t too attractive either so perhaps we put up with them because they’re the lesser of two evils.

This year I’m voting for whoever convinces me that they’re bringing the troops home. That rules McCain out since he plans on just continuing right on with Bush’s version of how things are going. I’m so tired of party politics, aren’t you? Wish we had an Independent that has a real shot at winning. Sometimes, I think that one of the requirements of declaring yourself either a Democrat or a Republican is that you have to check your brains at the door upon entering. What do they need brains for when the party has already established their position on every issue? Look at how they vote, almost always its split clear down party lines.

By the way, I’ve heard and pondered all the arguments for keeping our troops in Iraq.  I say, bring our troops home now. I’m a military wife. I support my husband and all our soldiers. I respect what they do and am grateful that we have people who are willing to go wherever our political leaders tell them they need to go. I read some of what that General said last week and I can’t disagree more. Again, more of the same. Of course things have quieted down some, they have all those troops there to help keep things quiet but the minute we pull out, it’ll be chaos again. So, is our plan to keep our troops there indefinitely to police this region? Our being there is only postponing what the Iraqis need to do for their country and their countrymen, namely solve their own tug-of-war for political and social power in their country.

Whatever happened to “Mission Accomplished?”

Life Happened…

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Well, it seems as if a whole lifetime has gone by since I last posted here.  Just got very, very busy with all kinds of stuff.  Life is just funny that way isn’t it.  One month it can be completely slow and boring, and then the next, a whole ton of things happen.  Let’s see in the last several weeks we’ve had a wedding, a trip out of state for a week, a hospitalization,  a couple of big events involving up to 100 people to organize and implement.  In short, its been a nut house around here.

The most important thing going on right now is hubby is getting ready for deployment to Iraq.  They don’t leave until June but their unit is already in high gear with trainings and more trainings.  He’ll be gone a lot for all these planned trainings even before he’s actually gone for the deployment, but at least, this time, he’ll be home after a few weeks or so.

I’m trying not to think too much about all this but its always there, can’t exactly run away from it.  I just wish we were done with this business already so that we can have all our men and women back home.   I was reading the other day that according to some estimates we could end up having to leave troops there for 10 or even more years.  I really don’t think that this is a problem we can solve, it is something that the citizens of this region need to figure out on their own.

I support and love the men and women in the military but I have strong opinions about the politicians and leaders who make the decisions.   Maybe I’ll share some of those opinions someday with you.  Today, I’m just a wife worried about her hubby.  I don’t want him to go, I don’t want him to be in danger but so do hundreds of other spouses out there.  Hubby feels that it is his duty and I admire him for that and I will support him.  But that doesn’t stop me from disagreeing with what I don’t like about this whole business.

If you have a loved one over there I pray that they will return safely someday.  My loved one will be there soon and I’ll be praying every day for his safe return.  More on this topic later.

Happy Veteran’s Day

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This coming Monday we’ll officially remember those who served this country. Hopefully, we’ll pause to reflect on what they’ve given all of us. Hopefully, we’ll take the time to thank them for their service when we see them around.

My hubby is active duty military. I have a brother in law still serving in Iraq as we speak. I know first hand the kinds of sacrifices our soldiers and their families are making and will continue to make.  I do not necessarily agree with our politicians or those decisions that led to our soldiers being where they are, but I do support our soldiers one hundred percent. I may not necessarily support our country’s leadership but my support and appreciation for our soldiers is rock solid.

This weekend, thank a veteran. Be sincere about it. They’ve gotten to the point where they really do not expect much from the rest of us, let alone those two simple words. We’ve been pleasantly surprised whenever we go somewhere and hubby happens to be in his uniform because people would stop him and just thank him for his service. We know that he is not just thanking him personally, but everyone who has ever worn a uniform or served his country in the Armed Forces.

We also run into people who think that their service is no big deal because they did “choose to go into this career or life.” It’s almost as if they’re saying well its your fault because you did sign up for this. Yes, they did sign up for the military, and yes they did choose it. But I wonder if such people even pause to think that if they hadn’t signed up for this life that there would be no one out there defending the freedom that they enjoy so much. I wonder if such people realize that if everyone avoided military service like the plague that we would all be forced to serve in the military like some countries do because that would be the only way to get people to serve.

I’m not saying that everyone should rush out and sign up for military service right now.  But it would be nice if people think for a minute before they make these kinds of idiotic statements. It would be nice if everyone take a minute to think of how much their life would change if they were drafted into the service because no one is willingly signing up for it.  One of the lessons that I’ve learned is that freedom is not free. The freedom that we have was paid by someone else in blood.

We have a lot of Samoans, both male and female, currently serving in the U.S. military.  We have a lot of Samoans who have served, who are veterans. They served with honor and pride. To all of you serving active duty tours right now in Iraq, Afghanistan, and everywhere else, I say “fa’afetai, fa’afetai tele lava. Fa’amalo le tautua, fa’amalo ile tou loto alofa, fa’amalo ile tou loto nu’u ma malo. Ia fa’a manuia pea le Atua ia te outou, ma puipui mai ia outou uma.” We are proud of you and we are praying for your continued safety and return. We are praying for all of you, our men and women in the military.  You make me proud to be an American, you make me proud to be Samoan. Ia Manuia!