Although we are both Air Force Veterans, all similarities end there (I worked on weapons systems (Bomber Avionics) then did support roles as "Cyber" Officer. Totally different roles, and I'm always a bit stunned at how much real combat you did as an "Intel?" person.
However, I was very much adjacent to your business a bit, and at my retirement, the Commander was reading from my performance reports, "Terrorist killed etc..." My spouse had no idea, so that conversation afterward was a bit awkward. But I wasn't close enough to it to be changed by it. But I guess another point is this, when I fixed bombers, I once had a Commander explain that our mission was to "Kill people and break things." Yep, somebody has to do it, it is dirty business. Best wishes, Will; sleep the sleep of the just at night.
My elders taught me that all living things are related and that ideally we should seek harmonious relations in the world at large. However, it sometimes becomes necessary to strive until our blood pours out. If we survive there are certain things we must do to restore harmony. It appears that you are about that work and I commend your courage and efforts to accomplish it. I wish you success- it is not an easy or quick process.
I missed Vietnam by one year, but my older friends who went fell into three groups: they hated violence (and hence would only be there because of the draft), they saw it as a job to do in order to survive and come home (would they volunteer without a draft?), and a large number who found it exhilarating and just. These three groups had a shared experience because of the draft. Now the folks in the first group and presumably a lot in the second stay home. I wonder if a draft that allowed the first two groups to do non-violent (or at least not-directly-violent) support missions in the military would let us have shared experiences again. What are your ideas about not just how to solve the past disconnect in Iraq and Afghanistan but also for future wars? Thanks!
Although we are both Air Force Veterans, all similarities end there (I worked on weapons systems (Bomber Avionics) then did support roles as "Cyber" Officer. Totally different roles, and I'm always a bit stunned at how much real combat you did as an "Intel?" person.
However, I was very much adjacent to your business a bit, and at my retirement, the Commander was reading from my performance reports, "Terrorist killed etc..." My spouse had no idea, so that conversation afterward was a bit awkward. But I wasn't close enough to it to be changed by it. But I guess another point is this, when I fixed bombers, I once had a Commander explain that our mission was to "Kill people and break things." Yep, somebody has to do it, it is dirty business. Best wishes, Will; sleep the sleep of the just at night.
My elders taught me that all living things are related and that ideally we should seek harmonious relations in the world at large. However, it sometimes becomes necessary to strive until our blood pours out. If we survive there are certain things we must do to restore harmony. It appears that you are about that work and I commend your courage and efforts to accomplish it. I wish you success- it is not an easy or quick process.
Will,
I thank you for putting out the truth about the our country/the military/killers etc.
I don’t know if anyone has ever put it out there like you are. It’s important work.
There’s a Yin and a Yang.
Yin is cool and Yang is hot.
I don’t know if you describe a hot person — or one of cold blood. Is the killer Yin or Yang?
But to your killer/protector Yin or Yang, there is one of the healer/caregiver mold. You could even be both… I don’t know.
But there is a Yin and a Yang. If all we had were killers to send out to do our “dirty” work, we would not survive our world.
Our killers. “Their” killers. Yes, we make killers to “protect” us. So do “they.”
And we dream of turning guns into plow shares.
But, we don’t, because we are afraid there will always be killers. So we make them.
Sigh.
I missed Vietnam by one year, but my older friends who went fell into three groups: they hated violence (and hence would only be there because of the draft), they saw it as a job to do in order to survive and come home (would they volunteer without a draft?), and a large number who found it exhilarating and just. These three groups had a shared experience because of the draft. Now the folks in the first group and presumably a lot in the second stay home. I wonder if a draft that allowed the first two groups to do non-violent (or at least not-directly-violent) support missions in the military would let us have shared experiences again. What are your ideas about not just how to solve the past disconnect in Iraq and Afghanistan but also for future wars? Thanks!