Respect the military for the peace of mind it allows all of us

Josh White Jumping the Gun

Surrounded in sex scandals and the vagaries of 1990s military strategy, the United States' armed forces are caught in a strange and confusing time; it seems as if they are seen as social political fodder and as an outmoded vestige of yesteryear's wars and peacekeeping missions.

While our servicemen (and women) are seemingly taking a backseat on the political rollercoaster that is rumbling through issues of how to deal with homosexuality and sexual integration, the idea of service to our country and national pride is getting lost between Washington blowhards and a disillusionment with the modern day military. It appears as if this nation is forgetting that these young men and women are risking their lives to protect our way of life; these dedicated people may be one of our last links to nationalism.

Standing at the football game this past Saturday, it was hard to notice that the Color Guard stood stoically at the beginning and the end of the game, raising and lowering the American flag. Lost among the 40-something cheerleader throwbacks, Goldy the Gopher and more than a few extra band members, their work was a mere formality in what has become a Saturday rite. Raising the most powerful symbol of our nation was reduced to a quiet mumble that somewhat resembled our National Anthem and a few screams of "Go Blue!"

Scary as it was, it was difficult to make out the words to the "Star Spangled Banner" as sung by a crowd of more than 106,000, but fairly easy to pick out shouts proclaiming that the refs were blind or that Minnesota was far from a quality team. Perhaps our priorities are a bit misdirected.

And that misdirection is often taken out on the military. Reserve Officer Training Corps Programs on this campus take a lot of criticism, not because they are highly successful programs or because of their political bent, but because people have some sick, unfounded belief that anything in camouflage must be inherently bad. People complain that ROTC members training in the Arb are getting in their way or causing them a disturbance. It amazes me that ROTC didn't hunt these crazies down and explain to them that these ambitious students are merely learning how to protect our freedoms - and every now and then, that protection relies on heavy weaponry.

Doesn't it make sense to have a prepared and intelligent military as opposed to the one that haphazardly sprung our country into existence more than 220 years ago?

And maybe there is an even more sentimental reason why it just doesn't bother me that these dedicated men and women decide to use years of their life protecting mine. Perhaps it is because I believe that without some sort of national pride we would forget what a wonderful place it is that we have. The military is both a symbol of our strength and of our nationalism - I still miss the "Be All That You Can Be" slogans of the 1980s - and we need those officers to raise the flag on Saturday, we need someone to care about things like that. Lest we fall prey to thinking that the national anthem is merely a sporting event opener, we need to have those who will protect our pride.

In a country that is quickly dividing on the issue of race and equality, I think that we need to step back and appreciate the fact that we can even have that argument out. In a country that is becoming obsessed with differences, there are few things around which we can rally without fear of becoming divisive or offensive. Political correctness has given way to a careful trepidation that doesn't allow us to speak our minds without a lawsuit or a rallying cry. And as we tip-toe around our more sensitive issues, gathering in corners and surrounding ourselves with like-minded fellows, we forget that we all have one thing in common: We are all Americans.

The military, with all of its drawbacks and current sexually related quandaries, is the only place where all that matters is that you are an American. That protecting our rights is a priority for this small cadre of our nation's citizenry makes me proud, and I wish that there were more people who understood that serving this country is more than learning how to use a gun and more than sunrise drills in the Arb.

Those men and women who raise the flag, spend years learning how to lead our armed forces and travel the world over to make sure that the Stars and Stripes can fly in each of the 50 states and in embassies across the world deserve our undying gratitude. Don't let the politicians and the activists convince you that we don't need such service - the armed forces do much more than protect our borders and our interests; they protect the one thing that we all have in common.

- Josh White can be reached over e-mail at jswhite@umich.edu

11-04-97