thedrifter
03-03-07, 07:46 AM
Real heroes merit first class
By Brenda McDonald/ As You Were Saying...
Saturday, March 3, 2007 - Updated: 08:13 AM EST
Is our long national nightmare over yet? You know it is a nightmare when the death of a drug-addicted former stripper who left an infant and a sorry cast of characters warrants nonstop coverage on cable news stations with headlines blaring “Who’s the Daddy?”
What did this woman ever do to achieve celebrity other than marry an elderly rich guy and fight for her inheritance?
Please. There’s a war going on, on more than one front. Every day, young men and women are making a real contribution. Here’s the story of one of them.
His name is Joe Berger and all his life he wanted to be a Marine. He grew up in San Diego with his father and sister and spent summers in Lynn with his mother (who due to illness could not care for him), his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Despite the difficulty of his mother’s illness and the resulting separation, he always arrived with a smile. He saw his life as an advantage, experiencing both the East and West coasts.
Upon graduation from high school, he joined the Marines, driven by a desire to serve and undaunted by the risk of war.
Some might say it’s sad to see a young man join the military in a time of war, in this war with all the questions surrounding it. It is sad when a privileged kid goes off to college and drinks himself to death, or drinks and drives and kills someone else’s child. It is not sad when a young man finds a purpose in life and completes his goal.
Perhaps the real national nightmare exists in the lives of those young people who never learn two of the most important things every Marine learns: discipline and a respect for authority.
On Feb. 9, 19-year-old Joe Berger, along with 372 other Marines, completed boot camp. For his 10-day leave, Joe came to Massachusetts to see his mother. He wore his uniform on the plane. The flight attendant on Delta Airlines thanked him for his service and asked him if he’d like an open seat in first class. He took it. He was impressed with the hot face cloths and the fruit bowls.
The new Marines know what they are doing and where they may end up. When one of them dies, it’s about as sad as it gets. But their service is something to celebrate, not to lament. No military, no country.
It is good to question the war, to hold our government accountable. Those opposed to the war must find constructive means to voice their opposition. War protesters who choose mass assembly, parading around with celebrities and signs with clever slogans, are not appreciated, to put it mildly, by the men and women risking their lives for us. Intelligent discourse and alternative solutions to destroy the threat of terrorism are welcome.
A few years ago, the Dalai Lama, a great advocate for peace and change through nonviolent means, spoke at the then FleetCenter. When asked what he thought of the war in Iraq, the Dalai Lama expressed anger at the violence but said only history will show whether the war is right or wrong.
The agony is in the waiting and the death, suffering and grief that come with it. Here’s to all the Joe Bergers of the world, to all who serve.
The flight attendant got it right. Those who wear or wore the uniform of the United States deserve first class treatment. May there always be someone around to offer them a hot cloth.
Ellie
By Brenda McDonald/ As You Were Saying...
Saturday, March 3, 2007 - Updated: 08:13 AM EST
Is our long national nightmare over yet? You know it is a nightmare when the death of a drug-addicted former stripper who left an infant and a sorry cast of characters warrants nonstop coverage on cable news stations with headlines blaring “Who’s the Daddy?”
What did this woman ever do to achieve celebrity other than marry an elderly rich guy and fight for her inheritance?
Please. There’s a war going on, on more than one front. Every day, young men and women are making a real contribution. Here’s the story of one of them.
His name is Joe Berger and all his life he wanted to be a Marine. He grew up in San Diego with his father and sister and spent summers in Lynn with his mother (who due to illness could not care for him), his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Despite the difficulty of his mother’s illness and the resulting separation, he always arrived with a smile. He saw his life as an advantage, experiencing both the East and West coasts.
Upon graduation from high school, he joined the Marines, driven by a desire to serve and undaunted by the risk of war.
Some might say it’s sad to see a young man join the military in a time of war, in this war with all the questions surrounding it. It is sad when a privileged kid goes off to college and drinks himself to death, or drinks and drives and kills someone else’s child. It is not sad when a young man finds a purpose in life and completes his goal.
Perhaps the real national nightmare exists in the lives of those young people who never learn two of the most important things every Marine learns: discipline and a respect for authority.
On Feb. 9, 19-year-old Joe Berger, along with 372 other Marines, completed boot camp. For his 10-day leave, Joe came to Massachusetts to see his mother. He wore his uniform on the plane. The flight attendant on Delta Airlines thanked him for his service and asked him if he’d like an open seat in first class. He took it. He was impressed with the hot face cloths and the fruit bowls.
The new Marines know what they are doing and where they may end up. When one of them dies, it’s about as sad as it gets. But their service is something to celebrate, not to lament. No military, no country.
It is good to question the war, to hold our government accountable. Those opposed to the war must find constructive means to voice their opposition. War protesters who choose mass assembly, parading around with celebrities and signs with clever slogans, are not appreciated, to put it mildly, by the men and women risking their lives for us. Intelligent discourse and alternative solutions to destroy the threat of terrorism are welcome.
A few years ago, the Dalai Lama, a great advocate for peace and change through nonviolent means, spoke at the then FleetCenter. When asked what he thought of the war in Iraq, the Dalai Lama expressed anger at the violence but said only history will show whether the war is right or wrong.
The agony is in the waiting and the death, suffering and grief that come with it. Here’s to all the Joe Bergers of the world, to all who serve.
The flight attendant got it right. Those who wear or wore the uniform of the United States deserve first class treatment. May there always be someone around to offer them a hot cloth.
Ellie