My little brother has wanted to fly airplanes since he could tell us his name. Toys of jets, runways and Air Force memorabilia covered his room as a child.
Now my little brother is 15 years old and growing up right before my very eyes. He is smarter, more articulate and better looking than I had ever imagined him to be. Yet, his dream of belonging to the Air Force has never wavered. The family has completely supported Mikie’s dream because of the opportunities the armed forces offers its employees and the traveling he would be able to do. But that was in a time of peace.
We never imagined that a war would be upon him as he gets closer and closer to his ultimate goal of becoming a pilot for our great nation.
I had thought about this war from an outside perspective until a recent shopping trip with the family made me question just why I supported it. It came to my attention that this conflict could go on for a long time and it isn’t just a conflict with Saddam but a conflict with international terrorists. Terrorists who are capable of monstrous catastrophes. Then, the issue finally hit home.
It scares me to death that this war on terror will keep mounting and my little brother could be right in the middle of it. He will be in the middle because he chooses to be.
I told my mother that I would not let Mikie be involved in this war. He is only a young boy who couldn’t rationally know what he was getting into. Even though it will be a few more years before he is eligible to enlist, I am still trying to come to grips with the idea that my little brother could die in a war for Americans who will never know his name. Americans who will never know his sweet smile or his pure and innocent heart.
I come from a long line of veterans. My great grandfather served in WWI, my granddaddy served in WWII, my father served in Vietnam and my great uncle didn’t come home alive from the jungle.
Sometimes I think this is what drives my little brother. The pride he sees in my grandfather’s old badges and the pictures of my father’s helicopter glorifies this thing we call war. It makes it look really cool to him.
Many people say the youth of today have no concept of war. I don’t see how that’s true.
I’m here to tell you I have seen in my father the repercussions of war. I wasn’t in Vietnam, but I see it in his eyes. I have seen him relive moments of gore. I watched him sit up all night and drink pots of coffee, smoking cigarettes like a chimney all the while rewinding Platoon more than three million times. The memories kept him up for days.
These people who claim we know nothing of war have seemed to overlook the fact that most of our parents have served or had a relative in the armed forces. We may not have been there but we have heard the stories.
And the fact that we have become petty and ill-willed brats is a slap in the face of all those who have served or died for our freedom.
They won our freedom for us with the ultimate price. They knowingly put themselves in harm’s way so we could go out and live our lives the way we saw fit. They trusted that the people of America had the values to instill in their future offspring the difference between right and wrong. That’s exactly why they fought and died.
To not go out and live our lives would mean hurting the memories and the triumphs of the great men and women who wanted us to be safe. To not do simple little things like watch our reality TV or have nights out on the town would mean the veterans had served in vain.
Essentially what makes us Americans is that we have choices. We have information. We have freedoms that allow us to do whatever within certain limits.
I hope my little brother understands that war could cost him his life. Can he give up something he will never get back? And he says to me, “I’m doing it for you Marianne.”
The question remains, are we as a nation ready to send our loved ones off to a battle?
My heart sincerely goes out to the relatives of all the men and women serving right now. It looks like more and more troops will be shipped out day after day. That means more of our mothers, fathers, grandfathers, cousins, friends and others will be heading to war.
Are they ready for the realities of war? Are they ready for the scenes in movies like Born on the Fourth of July? Because for some that’s how it will be.
Can we as a nation bounce back from a war and get revenge for 9/11 at the same time? The reality is that someone has to do it.
My mother put it to me this way, “I would rather Mikie go fight in a war to keep his freedoms than live in fear for the rest of his life.”
And after long moments of thought, I agreed. If he is one of the brave souls who step up and stand out for our country, than who am I to be so selfish as to deny his wish?
If Mikie ends up in the middle of this war then I have to admit he is doing the right thing.
I’ll have to think about how wonderful he is and think of all the people he would be protecting, liberating and helping.
There’s a price to pay for everything. I just hope it doesn’t cost too much for those getting ready to fight.
To all the veterans, thank you for your courage and thank you for believing in America.
Thank you for protecting those who you have never met or maybe never will.
You are what it means to be an American.

Author