Think Before You Speak!

I am always amazed at people who feel the need to share their opinions with you. Especially if you didn't ask. I know everyone has an opinion and has the right to share it. That's called freedom of speech..that's one of the things our military fights for. But what about when someone decides to use that same freedom against a military member? In the past month I've been witness to this a few times. I have had to let my soldiers, my friends, speak for themselves. I have almost bitten my tongue slap in half while doing this though. While talking to one of "my soldiers" I asked him if he missed life in Iraq. He has just returned stateside in January. I was pretty surprised by his answer. He said, "Yes, I do miss the life there." He said,"Life there made sense and I didn't have anyone telling me what I was fighting for was wrong." He went on to tell me about having a lady come up to him in an airport. He said she walked up and asked if he was military and he confirmed that he was in the Army. Well..for some reason she thought it would be a good idea to "share" her opinions with him. She told him he should go AWOL..never go back to the Army. She said she had a son and when he turned 18 she was taking him to Canada. Now why in the world would you go up to a total stranger and unleash on them like that? She didn't know him! I really wish I had been there. I asked him what he said to her when she was finished? He said her told her to have a nice trip to Canada.

The occasion I had the hardest time with though was with my friend Darrin. We were standing on a side walk and he was in uniform. A man came up to him and started telling him what he thought of the President and how we shouldn't be in Iraq...blah blah blah. Well after about one minute of it I was done! I knew I had to back off and let Darrin handle it. And he did. He defended the President, he spoke for our military and gave his views. That's when I heard the phrase I've grown to just LOVE to death.The man said, " I support our troops, I just don't support the war." Oh my God!!! I can think of very few things that send me over the edge faster than that! I just wanted to beat my head on the sidewalk. But I could only shake my head. When this man left this lady came up.. she told Darrin not to pay any attention to that man. She said she supported the troops...she had a magnet on her car and everything to prove it! Ya know..call me crazy, but I always got the impression supporting the troops went just a TINY bit further than the magnet on your car. Gosh..maybe I've gone overboard with all the care packages, letters. post cards and hours at USO??? I had no idea it was as easy as sticking that magnet on my car! Go figure. But that's ok, she can have her magnet..I'll keep supporting troops in my own way. And trust me it means more than a magnet