Military personnel deserve our utmost respect
Tucson Citizen
letters@tucsoncitizen.com

I'm sure you've turned on the news and seen a member of the military charged for rape or abuse. I know I have.
In fact, that's one of the only times you'll hear about the armed forces.

But have you ever seen or heard about the times when they have saved little children from burning buildings or had a leg blown off for rescuing a civilian? If so, you are one of the few who have.

Not only in Iraq, but also in other countries around the globe, many people in the Marines, Navy, Air Force and Army are sacrificing their lives daily so that we may live comfortably here in the United States.

And yet, here we are, bashing them left and right, saying that what they are doing is morally wrong and sickening.

We see only the negative things going on in Iraq - but rarely the contrary. America's media are misinforming our citizens.

According to the Defense Department, the death toll for Americans killed in the Iraq war reached 3,000 as of New Year's Day.

These are people we know and love, perishing for the safety and freedom of those in a foreign country. Our brothers, our sisters, our friends, our husbands, our wives and our children.

What we will never see and hear about is how they are constantly risking their lives to save others around them.

Although many people do not realize how much courage and valor it takes to fight for one's country, people serving in the military need to be recognized.

They are the ones who are hated, sometimes by both our country, as well as by those they are fighting against.

I commend each and every person enlisted in the armed forces and personally thank them for what they have done for me and my fellow Americans.

It's definitely not easy for an American soldier to be far off in another country, knowing that back home, he is portrayed as cruel and that his only supporters consist of family and friends.

They need our encouragement and support more than anything.

Rather than tearing them down with what we do and say, we should learn to appreciate their actions of courage. For example, it doesn't exactly please soldiers to hear a senator almost bluntly call them stupid and then try to play it off as a joke toward the president.

That's far from the truth. The armed forces include many doctors, lawyers and surgeons, just to name a few.

Dauntless people have left their professions to perform this patriotic duty, which many perceive as wrong. Yet, we benefit from their actions every day.

Here we are, living very conveniently, while they are out in combat fighting for the security of our free country. And still, we have the nerve to criticize their every move.

We need to reconsider how we are treating them. It is an honor to serve one's country, even more so in this day, considering their enlistment is all voluntary.

Let's give them the respect they've earned and deserve.
Teen columnist Jessica Mendibles is a junior at Luz Academy.

E-mail: jmendiblesluz@yahoo.com

Ellie