patriotism...it's a work in progress.

Let's just say i'm no Lee Greenwood. I've taken issue with the military life for a while now. And it wasn't until recently that i addressed these issues to myself and said "alright, Dayton...since you say you have a problem with these military folk, let's get it out. Let's get down to some understanding. After all, your grandfather and uncle are veterens."

So i did exactly that. I had a knock-down, drag-out bash fest on the military. And here are some things i came up with:
- it's outstandingly expensive to maintain
- for as much discipline people develop in training it sure seems to be poorly managed
- it desensitizes humanity
- recruiters are annoying...there's a line between not taking no for an answer and not listening.
- being in active duty and married seems really selfish. you can't be in Asia and small town U.S.A and effectively raise a family. i just don't get how you can do that to a family.

"Alright, Dayton." i said to myself, "let's understand it." So i tried to make some counter points:
- to borrow a quote from john lennon (yes, John Lennon), "it's less expensive than one human life." yeah he was talking about other things but let me have this one.
- so is the Church
- there's a certain admiration in persistance. it took Mr. Thomas Alva Edison thousands of tries before the light bulb responded positively (ha, positive electrical current).
-

I couldn't come up with one. I was stuck in my little bubble of narrowmindedness until i found a video that a friend of mine (Miss Kasey Chaumont) posted on her facebook. Now, the video isn't originally her's, so don't everyone go break down her door trying to pat her on the back...not for that at least...she says she likes to make sweetly baked delicious tokens of awesomeness...but that's TBD. I'm trying to find out first hand but i don't have a birthday coming up. I need to find some excuses to get a cake (or cupcakes! i've explicitly stated that they are an acceptable alternative).

So i'm a guy that goes on a tangent about cupcakes. You can see why i've been apprehensive about embracing military concepts. It's just how i've always seen the world. I've always thought a better alternative to bombings is air raids with cupcakes, droppin' all kinda cupcakes out of the sky on unsuspecting civilians would do much more in terms of diplomacy than blowing up stuff. People work hard on those buildings. Maybe they could use cupcake drops as a warning then the next time through pass by with bombs...i mean...if i were to get bombed later, i'd sure appreciate a cupcake now, just sayin'.

But i digress.

This video is a montage of a bunch of soldiers surprising their loved ones in an unexpected return from a "tour of duty" (still have a problem with it being termed a tour). So i started watching it and almost immediately i felt like a moron. It's like a little light bulb tapped me on the brain and said, "hey, idiot, look over here...at the screen. you were wrong." Aaaannnndd i was wrong.

These men and women are anything but selfish...some the most selfless people you and i will ever meet. Then i realized that my negativity was a twisted version of the admiration i have for these guys. These men and women aren't leaving their families; they're serving them by their commitment to keep our country free from harm (no matter how much we abuse it). It'd been a while since i'd been humbled, and it came at the right time in an appropriate manner. Inspiration is a powerful thing. It can take you from apprehension to appreciation in the matter of seconds. So i'm going to try to put this link up. I hope you can follow it one way or another.

click video link

And so Thank you, all you men and women who serve. And to the families, you are in my prayers.

Peace,
Daytona



"To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living, but existing." - Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati