Why I Joined the Army

I recently joined the U.S. Army and will be leaving for basic combat training in a matter of weeks. My decision to enlist has been met with responses that range from dissatisfaction to confusion to admiration. But among those who do express their opinions, one question pervades, "Why did you do it?"

Some people have asked why I would leave my son without his mother for so long. Others inquire about my motivation for enlisting during a time of war. There are those who wonder at my sanity for giving up a five thousand dollar a month job. Still more ask why I would leave school when I am accomplishing so much. I can answer each of these probing questions by stating my unshakable belief in seven priceless values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and courage.

Loyalty is an allegiance to something. My allegiance to the United States of America is more than just a line I recite when saying the pledge. Rather, it is an honest, deep, binding loyalty to my country and its people. My decision to join the Army is an expression of that love.

Duty is the moral or legal obligation to take action. I understand that every right ordains an accompanying responsibility. We did not become the great nation we are by accident; we earned the distinction, and we must never forget the price of that freedom. It was paid in blood by countless Americans who were willing to answer the call of duty. My decision to join the Army is a fulfillment of that obligation.

Respect is an admiration or high regard for something. My respect for human life, for human dignity and for a person's inalienable rights defies all my attempts to frame it in mere words. My decision to join the Army is a demonstration of that reverence.

Service is the giving of yourself for the benefit of another. Service always requires sacrifice and every soldier, sailor, airman or Marine must sacrifice something --some more than others. President John F. Kennedy reminded us about selflessness when he said, "...ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." There are things in the world even more important than my life. I understand that I am not the whole story; in fact, I play just a small part in it. Though I am leaving my son in the care of someone else, I believe it is a sacrifice worth making. I pray that one day he will understand. My decision to join the Army answers the call to serve.

Honor is a source of merit or distinction. I find it strange to call myself an American soldier. It seems unreal to cast myself in the same light as those men and women I've placed in such high regard. However, self-respect is an important part of becoming an American solider, and it isn't something to be hidden. To the American servicemen and women reading this, particularly those fighting in today's war, never forget that your country loves you. Critics always hold court in coffee shops across the country regardless of the nature of the conflict. These perpetual naysayers blame America for every wrong facing the world. At the end of the day, however, they go home and crawl under the blanket of freedom. It is the cover you have provided for them. I believe the American soldier is a hero. My decision to join the Army reflects my desire to be counted among those heroes.

Integrity is standing by what you believe in despite the consequences. Winston Churchill famously said, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." Having integrity always involves rising up for what you believe is right, regardless of what others may say or even think about you. My decision to join the Army is a resolution to be that person of integrity.

Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. The life of an American soldier is a life of risk, but it is a life worth living. America is not perfect, but there is no better place to live. America has real enemies, and courageous men and women must be prepared to face them without hesitation. My decision to join the Army is my acceptance of the challenge to be brave.

President Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

I believe this with all my heart. I also believe that each and every one of us plays a specific role in the defense of freedom. For me, that role will now be as a soldier in the United States Army. I have argued for freedom with my words in debate, with my pen in writing and with my ideas on campus; now, I am ready to fight for it with my life.

Bush's Veto: A road block on the path to Socialism

One mile on the road to socialism is the expansion of SCHIP.

In the past ten years SCHIP has gone from a program intended only to insure struggling families to a permanent middle class entitlement program. At this speed, ten more years of the program's expansionwould result in completely socialized medicine.

But isn't that what the Democrats want? Bigger government? Complete control over the healthcare industry? Complete control over ourpersonal healthcare decisions? Though they may not admit this inwords, their actions betray their true intentions.

The expansion ofSCHIP would not only target poor and uninsured families, but would encourage families already receiving private health insurance totransfer over to state-sponsored healthcare.

The effect: a culture of dependency, a heavier burden on tax payers,and a large amount of power shifting from the free market to the hands of the government.The bulk of funding for the SCHIP expansion is expected to come froman increased cigarette tax. Not only is this illogical because mostly low-income people smoke cigarettes, which will essentially result in the poor funding the healthcare of the middle class, but it is also aslippery slope.

What happens when the tobacco funding dries up? You can bet that the big-government politicians will come after all tax payers, which includes you, to fill the vacuum. The expansion's supporters in Congress are fully aware of this but they are hoping that American's lack of sympathy towards smokers will distract them from reality.

People need to stop listening to the demagoguery and look at thefacts. The Democrats are attempting to spin the SCHIP debate into abattle between those-who-care-about-children versusthose-who-don't-care-about-children. These tactics are nothing new for the Left, who think they can advance their socialist agenda so long asit is in the name of the children.

Even big-government Bush understood this and took a stand. President Bush's veto has put up a major road block on the path to socialism.

If the Democrats truly want to help modest-incomefamilies who are struggling to make ends meet, and not just put morepower in the hands of the government, then they should consider a much more market friendly and choice friendly solution: tax credits.

A Rootless Society

Often times in nature we witness occurrences that reflect truths in human life.

Not long ago I observed a storm outside my family's living room window. My family had recently planted a dogwood tree in the front yard. The tree had only been rooted for about two weeks. Planted near the dogwood was a large oak tree that had been living there for over twenty years.

As the wind of the storm roared it yanked at both trees, attempting to rip them from the earth. The oak's branches rattled furiously but the tree itself stood firm. The dogwood, on the other hand, with its shallow roots, was no match to the storm’s fury and within minutes it was carried off into the neighbor's yard.

People, like trees, need strong roots if they hope to survive life's storms.

Wendell Berry, a well-known Kentucky farmer and writer, often expressed in his writings this connection between having roots and living a healthy human life. He believed that a community is not just a group of people living in the same vicinity but a group of people living side by side with interdependence upon each other.

Today’s tragic breakdown of community is in part due to our modern day’s emphasis on placing individual rights before individual responsibilities. This contemporary individualist mentality tells people to live for themselves and themselves only. Humans today are told that they are the ruler of their own lives and they should go where they want to go and be who ever they want to be.

This individualist mindset removes any sense of duty to a certain piece of land or group of people.

As Americans, we are restless. We are constantly moving, constantly searching for something better: a new job, a bigger home, or a better school.

Oswald Chambers, a renowned Christian author and minister, writes in one of his books that “when we are in an unhealthy state physically or emotionally, we always want thrills,” we seek constant change. Living in a nation that seeks change as much as ours, this is a claim for us to seriously consider.

Despite praises of modern technology, modern convenience, and our ever increasing ability to have the world at our fingertips, I’m not so sure that these "advancements" are such a good thing. Globalization is turning humans into economic units and causing us to forget that we are also spiritual beings.

I don’t know exactly how to stop this fatal trend, but I do know that if true community is to be preserved we must stop treating humans as mere biological, economical, or political creatures, and instead treat them as if they have souls capable of love, labor, and ultimately worship.

Today, there are temptations lurking around every corner to uproot ourselves. Temptations to take that new job, move into that bigger home, or attend that better school. However, I believe we must reject modern individualist thinking and once again recognize that we have a duty to look after our own community and the people in it.

My fear is that this traditional concept of community may only be an attribute of the past. And if I am accurate in my concern than we, like the tree with shallow roots, can not and will not survive life’s imminent storms.