Who Should Be Thanking Whom?
The thing that strikes me about this letter and the countless ones like it that I have read or heard related over the past several years is that it is coming from the wrong side of the conversation. Make no mistake, I appreciate every word that LTC Crider has to say, and in my own very limited way I have experienced something of the same, but it seems strange to me every time I see an American service member thanking America for an opportunity to serve and grow in a cause most Americans have essentially abandoned.
In LTC Crider and so many American service members like him, I see a different kind of America than I see day-to-day here in the US. LTC Crider and those like him still believe in things like courage, honor, loyalty, decency, and finishing what one has started. I pray for a million men and women like LTC Crider in our military, government, and schools. I thank God that there is at least one of him.
Thank you, LTC Crider, and your soldiers and families for doing what you do faithfully and loyally even after so many have given up hope. Maybe your words will strike true in the hearts of a few more people, enough to rekindle the ideals you have dedicated yourself to in our nation at large.
That does seem a bit backwards, especially since being in the military is voluntary. No one must sign up against their will.
And it’s a good reminder for all of us to thank those who have served and are serving.