I asked Fawwaz what the greeting salam meant, so as to find out about my nickname, and he said it means "peace." How very ironic that a Marine Gunnery Sergeant would pick up the nickname "peace" while deployed.
That brings me to a point that I discussed with my aunt about three months ago. Why is it that we have 130,000+ MILITARY members conducting nation building? The nations military is supposed to be a violent arm of offense or defense that imposes the political will of a nation on those who would oppose it.
Many of the jobs here are missions that forward the development of a human infrastructure. We are building their government and their police forces and their civil infrastructure. Using Marines to do this is like using a hammer to repair a computer circuit board. I guess it can be done, but is it really the right tool for the job.
Now before I go further, I must say that it is an honor to serve over here. My country called me to do a job and I am going to do it to the best of my ability. Also, I understand that we are here to ensure the security situation remains stable and that we keep peace so that development can happen. Furthermore, there are a hand full of civilians also over here working to rebuild civil infrastructure and doing a damn fine job. I get all that.
What I want to know is, why are the majority of people here in the military and not in the state department? Why aren't police officers, in majority numbers, over here teaching the police? Why are the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines doing so much civil nation re-construction?
The answer probably lies in the lack of people or the lack of funds in those areas. If that is the answer, then our system of nation building is broken and we need to fix it. I guess we need to fix it like we need to fix our economy, our border security, our welfare system, our health care system, our ........ oh well, I guess this hammer can wait!!!
Semper Fi,
m
1 comment:
From Colleen,
I liked your blog today. I ask myself those questions every day, but I have come to my own conclusion to answer that…
There are no other Americans in our nation who will leave their families for 6-18 months at a time for a salary that can be categorized as borderline poverty/low-income to save/build a nation that didn’t want us there in the first place. It’ not just the service member sacrificing, it’s the entire family. How many civilians do you know who would honestly let their spouses go away for months at a time, especially knowing that they can’t just jump on plane to fly home if someone got sick or the wife was having a baby or even just come into town for a birthday. Even Christians have a hard time allowing their family members go on mission trips b/c it’s SO HARD to do it alone even for a few days to a couple of weeks. Life is always moving forward and no one wants to miss anything, but sometimes it takes missing something to truly know the value and the cost of what you are really missing. But for the person who is gone, the one who has left to do the work, knows the end result is worth sacrifice. When they come home, they find value in so much more than they had before.
As I look around Jacksonville, and speak with civilians and military family members there is such a different attitude. Last week a young, very young new military wife and her mother came into our store. What was interesting is she was so upset and angry that people didn’t care that her husband was leaving and she was starting her first deployment and was trying to get pregnant. She said “people blew me off when I said my husband was leaving and it made me feel like no one cared. And I was on the outside of life looking in wondering why people don’t care anymore.” What I explained to her was, that she certainly wasn’t an outsider, she was now part of a group of strong powerful women who has all done it. Probably over 75% of all military spouses in Jacksonville (if they have been married for more than 3 years) has been where you have been, alone in a strange new town without a husband by your side living life. This lifestyle has become customary to military life, we’ve all done it… as the Marine’s say “Been there, done that, will probably do it again, and will hate it again”. No one loves being separated from family, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the entire society as we know it to grow and survive.
Look at Christ, he had to leave His family to do the work of His heavenly Father for the greater good of all men, not for his own selfish life, but so that others would see that there is more to life. I would imagine His mother, Mary, would have loved for him to get married, have grandbabies and live right next door. But her Son, had another path set out for him. He traveled by foot wandering all over the country trying to teach people the truth, isn’t that what our military members are doing… teaching people the truth, how to live a prosperous and peaceful life? I know that analogy is pretty farfetched, but I do believe that there is some truth to it. Doing the work of a real Christian is not for the weak, lonely or whiny, neither is being a member of a military family.
My prayer is that we as a family come out on the other end of this 7 month adventure being stronger in Christ, as a family and grounded in truth and moral character, by doing the right thing even when it’s not easy and by living each day not alone but with Christ as our compass.
I love this lady!
Semper Fi,
m
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