As part of the Dewey project, I forced myself to read something in the military section. You see, I'm not really a military person. It's one of those subjects that I don't really like. Based on how I'm filling out Dewey, you can see where my interests lie. There are some huge gaps, and I'm trying to work on them. That's the main reason for doing this project.
Both of my parents were/are in the military. My dad was. I don't know what his rank was. I don't know if he was discharged honorably, dishonorably, or what. There were many things that were talked about in my dad's family and an equal number of things that weren't talked about. For the record, the Worldwide Wrestling Federation was talked about. Anything that would be put on a resume was not talked about.
My mom's a lieutenant colonel. I don't know how the rankings go (because, as I said, I don't care to learn about this topic that much), but numerous people have told me this is a very high ranking. Whenever I went with her in her uniform on base, practically everyone salutes her. I never knew it was because of her rank; I just thought it was a gender thing.
My mother is very quiet about her military service. She's not the type to brag or complain or be passionate about her beliefs outwardly. The military was a means to an end for her. The end would be education. Her mom was a housekeeper, and her dad was a gardener and then became a steelworker. They didn't have the money to send her to college. She joined to get her education paid for. Once her education was paid for, she had been in for quite a while, and then she just had to get another 10 years in to be eligible for the military retirement. So she stayed in to get that. Again, a means to an end.
Being that she was a lieutenant colonel and I had good grades and good SAT scores, I got heavily recruited by West Point. As the calls and propaganda starting to pile up, I eventually asked her about this West Point thing. Should I apply since it seemed like a given that I'd be accepted? The gist of what she said was that I wasn't cut out for the military, and I'd get most of my schooling paid with the money she and my aunt put in a trust so unless I was really interested it probably wasn't worth it. Which was fine because she was right, I was not interested in a life in the military at all. Nothing about it interested me. Some girls are attracted to guys in the military. I was not. The few that I had talked to weren't my type, and we had very different mindsets and personalities. Not that I want to be with someone who shares my same exact mindset, but somewhere in the general vicinity would probably be good.
I know zilch about the military. Given that both of my parents were/are in the military, I should be ashamed. And I am. I should know more about the inner workings of our military than I do. Those brave souls fight for our freedom. While I may disagree with the direction our country has been headed while George W. Bush was President, I thank the people who defend our country so tirelessly and who give up time with their families to go overseas. It's got to be one of the toughest jobs in the world.
The book I selected for the Dewey project was Last Letters Home. It showed letters from soldiers who died in Iraq to their families during 2003-04. It was such a sad book on so many levels. Yes, I completely disagreed with the Iraq thing. Saddam was an awful person, but he wasn't the cause of the terrorist attacks. Then to go into Iraq and cause that upheaval and all those lost lives...eh, I'm not going to get on my soapbox, you can see where I would go if I had more energy to focus on that aspect. It was so interesting to hear biographies on these brave souls who were too young to die. It was touching to see their actual letters and words to their families. To be put in such a raw situation like that and see how people reach out to those they care about. And to see some of their last words before death. It was sad how many times they'd write an e-mail or letter and be in a bombing a few hours later. Awful, tragic stuff. And inspiring at the same time.
These are the moments where I reflect on the topic at hand and learn more about others and vicariously, myself. I am definitely liking this aspect of the Dewey project.
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