Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve
by Gary GrahamHer thumbs danced over the tiny keyboard of her cell phone, glumly texting a friend. I reached over and, uncharacteristically, snapped it shut. Gently, but firm.
“Not today, hon.”
With a loud sigh of disgust she slammed the phone back into her purse and sat there in the fold-out chair and sulked. My wife’s look to me of indignant expectation (You going to put up with that?) was met by my practiced calm of everything-will-be-fine (She’s a teenager, that’s what they do).
Hoping against hope that my doubting Thomas wife was wrong and that I was right, I settled in to listen to the Memorial Day program at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. It was May 30, 2009, and as we sat there on the lawn that cloudy morning, our little family was a whirl of dysfunction. It had been building for some time; petty problems had ruined our peace, and small arguments and squabbling set my wife and my 16-yr-old daughter at mutual odds. I sat there amidst the several thousand gathered feeling alone, distant, isolated. And completely alienated from my family. How could three so close seem suddenly so distant?
Speaking to honor our fallen war heroes that day were several Hollywood notables including John Voight and Robert Davi. They were reading letters sent home from distant battlefields and different wars. Sent to loved ones by men they would never see again.
As the program proceeded, a miracle happened. It happened within our family – but I think it was happening everywhere that day, all across America really. We forgot our petty differences for a moment. We forgot to text. We forgot who was on “American Idol” that week. We forgot ‘it’s all about me’.
We remembered the soldier.
There were tears wept openly that day as these heart-rending letters were read. A glowing warmth of pride descended upon this crowd as we sat there together and considered the people who were willing to serve to preserve our freedom.
My daughter’s truculence had dissipated and been replaced with a sweet reverence. After the program we wandered through the cemetery reading the headstones of veterans who had passed. My daughter wandered off by herself, reading the names, fully engrossed in reverie for these heroes of past wars. My wife nodded at her, squeezed my hand, and we watched her in quiet repose. This was something new I was witnessing. My daughter got it.
This recent Memorial Day was a good time for America. And it was definitely a good day for my family.
I thought of times in our history when brave men in uniform demonstrated their courage. And by ‘brave’ I mean – scared sh*tless, disoriented, fiercely committed, praying for help, screaming death and venom at evil, blasting away at the enemy, and…basically doing exactly what a soldier is expected to do. Put himself in the line of fire to win the battle.
The 101st Airborne at Bastogne. The Marines at Chosin Reservoir. Normandy. Iwo Jima. Saigon. Fallujah, Iraq. Hindu-Kush, Afghanistan. The examples of American Military heroism are endless.
Jesus told us in the Bible that “no greater love hath a man that that would lay down his life for another.” A prescient truth foretelling true self-sacrifice, as reflected in the Cross — our Lord’s final act of love on this earth. Consider the love and selfless courage it would take for a G.I. in combat to throw himself onto a live grenade to save his fellow squad members. Yet this has happened time and time again by our courageous troops, most recently, in Ramadi, Iraq by a young Navy SEAL Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor.
These acts of heroism are common, but seldom widely reported. More often than not, they are buried beneath apparently more urgent stories like who won a talent contest or basketball championship.
The many efforts of the Left to disparage and denigrate our servicemen are all too widespread. Our troops are constantly being maligned as intellectually inferior and naively gullible. Ironically, the exact opposite is true. In fact, the very highest of all human ideals and attributes is to be found by the men and women who serve in our military.
My teenage daughter got it on May 30th. She got that her carefree life of texting her friends and going to the mall and riding her horse is all made possible by the sacrifices our military men and women are willing to make on a daily basis. They don’t demand our respect – but they are certainly worthy of it.
So the next time you hear some arrogant, pseudo-intellectual dipstick running his mouth about how our military is a bunch of ignorant, thug rednecks…step up to the Cretin and set him straight. Idiocy, if tolerated, has a habit of turning into a cultural mindset…and pretty soon you have one of those ‘Zeitgeist’ things happening. That’s how Political Correctness got started. (And, not coincidentally, the Third Reich.)
It’s time to cut that garbage off at the knees. Educate yourself, America. Re-examine our roots and our heritage and our history. Contrary to what the America-hating revisionists want you to believe, America has a proud past of building from nothing a nation that is the contemporary cornerstone of freedom for all mankind. We haven’t been perfect…but we’ve become the best the world has ever seen. Build up a fire in your belly for America and all that she stands for, and stand up and shout your love of country and honor for the flag from the rooftops.
If you’re not spitting out blood… you’re just not yelling loud enough.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
38 Comments
I wish everyone could come to the same conclusion as your daughter… it saddens and angers me when people put down and degrade the military men and women… they forget that our country exists today because of the men and women that willingly fought for what they believed in…. And now there are too many people that believe that our military men and women are scum of the earth, when they are anything but.
Thank you for your post.
Great post Mr Graham. Every single one of our military men and women should be revered as the self-less heroes that they are.
Looking forward to your next post Gary (if I may call you Gary). They are always a thought provoking treat to read.
I'd like to know who decided it was ok to spit on soldiers returning from combat. To me this is the worst form of disrespect. Here you have a soldier who probably watched friends die fighting, all he or she wants to do is go home and be with his loved ones, and then some filthy scumbag spits on them. It's infuriating……
John Kerry, IMHO, did a lot of damage to our brave troops when he said that if you aren't smart enough to go to college you'll wind up in Iraq (or something like that). And this isn't an isolated thought. Those on the left, those that think they are intellectuals, actually believe that tripe.
I say that the soldiers wearing American uniforms are the best of us. Always were, always will be. And I will have words with anyone that says differently.
[...] News Sources wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptHer thumbs danced over the tiny keyboard of her cell phone, glumly texting a friend. I reached over and, uncharacteristically, snapped it shut. Gently, but firm. “Not today, hon.” With a loud sigh of disgust she slammed the phone back into her purse and sat there in the fold-out chair and sulked. My wife’s look to me of indignant expectation (You going to put up with that?) was met by my practiced calm of everything-will-be-fine (She’s a teenager, that’s what they do). Hoping agai [...]
I agree… and I detest people that protest the military as well… whether it's Westboro Baptist or the Jokes in San Fran or at Berkley…. :/
As always..a great post Mr Graham. I regret not stepping up to say hi at the last O.C. Tea Party. I loved your speech that day. As a former military vet, I appreciate the stand you take for our fallen. We must never forget their sacrifice. I look forward to your next post..
God bless our military – all of them. And you and your family, as well, Gary. Good for you, your wife and your daughter – for 'getting it'.
[...] Normandy trip, ‘Obama beach,’ and Sarkozy snub? Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve NewsBusters: On D-Day Anniversary, Google Memorializes… [...]
It's maddening to see those people protest the very institutions that protect their liberty.
[...] Republic Doug Powers, Michelle Malkin: John McCain goes to war again Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve Acton Institute PowerBlog: PBR: Conservatives and Hollywood Russ Dvonch, Big Hollywood: Heroic [...]
[...] For”! | Obama Appointee Suggests Radical Plan for Newspaper Bailout Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve Peace and Freedom Global Future: “Independent Media” At Risk In Obamaworld Nice Deb: Today’s [...]
[...] Day Tribute Washington Times: Sinise urges more funds for disabled vets Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve Fastidious: What I’m Smiling About: Happy Memorial Day Nice Deb: Happy Memorial Day Ogre’s [...]
Beautiful, Gary. My grandpa was in Korea, my uncle in WWII and another in Vietnam, all in the Army. So imagine my surprise when my husbands decides to join up, and his mother says, "Why? You're so intelligent." She's not a lib, either. Just ignorant (self-proclaimed).
These people really are the best of us. Shame we don't always remember.
As always a great read Gary! The ‘60s counter culture damaged the image of the Citizen Soldier, and carry their disdain to this day. However if war ever came to the shores of America, God forbid, these leftist weasels would be the first scurrying for cover and screaming for help. Of coarse the brave American Soldier would get between them and a bullet without regard for politics in defense of this great country, it’s people, and the Constitution. God bless America!
"My wife nodded at her, squeezed my hand, and we watched her in quiet repose. This was something new I was witnessing. My daughter got it."
And so, another soul is confirmed to what is right and true in this world; and we all grow that much stronger as a people.
I truly wish the internet had been available while I was in high school. I would have learned that not everyone thinks about the troops the way my liberal teachers did. I remember leaving my AP U.S. History class in tears because of the way my teacher denigrated the troops in Vietnam – the ones just like my dad who had served honorably and heroically. We spent a whopping two days on the Vietnam War (watching a documentary of some drugged out soldiers with hookers in Hanoi). I am glad that your daughter "got it" and I think that it is our mission now to make sure that everyone gets it. Great article.
I am trying to get my Girl Friend's son to realize that if he lived in another country that he would not be able to do 90% of the pleasures he has today. But to instill pride in ones country and military is hard when he has a father who can't even pay for his own son and is a product of the penal system more than the free citizens who pay for his stay. But I am not one to give up and perhaps when he is 16 he will gain the insight your daughter did that day.
"Our troops are constantly being maligned as intellectually inferior and naively gullible."
I've found in over 23 years of service that some of the smartest, wisest and brightest individuals America has ever known are serving their country in uniform. I'm just sad most Americans don't take the time to find this out.
John Kerry, and Oliver Stone, did an even greater disservice to the military when they joined, thinking it would look good on their resumes and that it would a cruise on the Love Boat. Their petulant, bratty antics since their return make my six year old's temper tantrums pale in comparison.
There is a special place in Hell for those two, and the spitters everywhere—-what a loathsoe=me, self-hating bunch.
God Bless our incredible Armed Forces—-keep them in your prayers.
I had a college course that was similiar, except I had to watch six hours of a PBS documentary and read a thick piece of apologetic malarkey.
Thank your dad for me, please.
Gary, a very thoughtful and poignant post. I wept as I read it.
Thank you for believing in our American heroes.
PS: My grandfather was retired Air Force. My father is retired Army. My husband just retired from the Navy. And our son ships off to MCRD San Diego at the end of August, right before his 18th birthday. I have nothing but love and respect for our Armed Forces.
[...] Random Feed wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptHer thumbs danced over the tiny keyboard of her cell phone, glumly texting a friend. I reached over and, uncharacteristically, snapped it shut. Gently, but firm. “Not today, hon.” With a loud sigh of disgust she slammed the phone back into her purse and sat there in the fold-out chair and sulked. My wife’s look to me of indignant expectation (You going to put up with that?) was met by my practiced calm of everything-will-be-fine (She’s a teenager, that’s what they do). Hoping agai [...]
Thank you , Mr. Graham, for another fine post. I wish more young people would experience what your daughter did on Memorial Day.
One thing I have to say though is this: I live in the L.A. area and I run into quite a few Liberals/Democrats. When in conversation it comes up that my husband is in the military and was/is in Iraq (he's finishing his second tour now), I have NEVER gotten a negative comment from the liberals/Democrats. They have offered me heartfelt and sincere best wishes and thanks for his service.
Seriously, I kid you not, and a couple of them for sure are dyed in the wool Democrats. And nary a nasty word.
Which proves that it is actually possible to be a liberal/Democrat and actually not be an a$$hole! Who'da thunk it? They may be few and far between, but they are there.
And to those liberals/Democrats, I thank you for not drinking of the Kool-Aid and for appreciating our servicemen and women.
We're lucky. My kids grew up with their Grandfather as an example of what a real man is. He dropped into Normandy on D-Day, fought across Europe in other airborne drops, and was finally permanently disabled in Holland. Despite wounds that gave him pain every day for the rest of his life, he came home, raised an adoring family, was a wonderful provider, a strict disciplinarian (Thanks Dad – you were right.), and gave us all the educational advantages he had to pay for on his own at night school; although the GI Bill helped a lot, he still had to provide for a family by working full time during the day. Because he was such a wonderful grandfather and commanded their respect naturally through his example, my kids grew up with respect and reverence for our people in uniform. They know I spent a year in-country Viet Nam, but my Dad is their real hero and I don't mind a bit. He's my hero too. I'm glad that others get it too, as you explained above, and it appears that increasingly, more and more are getting it. Keep the faith.
Hi Gary: I've been a fan since Alien Nation and your posts have only enhanced my respect for you. This, however, is probably your best yet. I'm a military brat. . .my parents were both in the Air Force (my mother served until she became pregnant with my older brother, while my father served for twenty-one years). My younger brother is a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, and my young cousin is a soldier in Afghanistan. Your daughter has experienced something some people never do. . .and she's still very young. Every time a teenager comes to the same conclusion your daughter has, that's one less person to treat a future Soldier/Sailor/Marine/Airman with the same disrespect my parents were shown during the Vietnam years. Thank you. . .thank you for your public support for our guys and gals, and for providing that example to your daughter.
Thanks Gary! Great tribute. Thanks to all of you for the kind words and thoughts. This soldier is proud to serve folks like yourselves. HOOAH!
EXCELLENT!!! –AS USUAL MR. GRAHAM… GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY AND GOD BLESS THIS TROOPATHON AND ALL WHO ARE TAKING PART IN IT.
You're absolutely right. I had a Lance Corporal who was a CPA. Another who had been a real estate developer. I had Marines who could strip a wrecked chevy in the Saudi desert and use the parts to repair a 5 ton truck or a HMMWV. And then turn around and survey in a high tech radar set and run some of the most advanced technology we had. I can only shake my head when I hear those idiots run down our troops as being "ignorant".
"I truly wish the internet had been available while I was in high school. I would have learned that not everyone thinks about the troops the way my liberal teachers did."
Amen to that.
Mr. Graham, you are a good father.
I love the post, Gary. A wonderful tribute to our nation's best, laced with your family's experience in attending the memorial service made it an article that I will print and save. Thank you for sharing.
God bless our troops, and God bless America!
LOL father it was a bad day for me for alot of reasons. I wasn't trying to disrespect the military, and in fact i have a GREAT appreication towards them. You saw how afterwards i went out on my own, walking admits the graves and nodding my salute to them. I knelt down to many and closed my eyes to say a silent prayer.
I didn't use my phone during the ceremony or any of the pledges. Simply before, and once we left the grounds.
Just clarifying.
-your daughter
[...] What happened to flying the flag on Memorial Day? Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: All-American Girl and Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve and Janet – Put on the Coffee GayPatriot: Liberals Who Insist on Politicizing Everything and [...]
[...] responds Jeremy D. Boering, Big Hollywood: USO: How Hollywood Serves Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve Ned Rice, Big Hollywood: Can Andrew Breitbart Save Hollywood? Road2Recovery, Big Hollywood: [...]
[...] Fonda Edition and Obama vindicates Bush, again Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: All-American Girl and Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve THR.com: Sinise on Patrol: One helping thousands Fire Andrea Mitchell!: Freedom is NOT Free and Joe [...]
[...] NBC: National Broadcasters Against Conservatives Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: All-American Girl and Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve and Janet – Put on the Coffee Matt Sanchez, FOX News: In a Class By Themselves Ben Shapiro, [...]
[...] NBC: National Broadcasters Against Conservatives Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: All-American Girl and Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve and Janet – Put on the Coffee Matt Sanchez, FOX News: In a Class By Themselves Orson Bean, [...]
[...] Profiles in Courage: Army Spouse Edition Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: All-American Girl and Troopathon 2009: Because They Serve and Janet – Put on the Coffee Matt Sanchez, FOX News: In a Class By Themselves Ben Shapiro, [...]
You must be logged in to post a comment.