Wednesday, November 11, 2009

'Grieve with us, don’t grieve for us.'


Army Chief of Staff , George Casey, is out of favor with some for his remarks on diversity in connection with Muslims in the U.S. Army. However, his remarks at the Fort Hood Memorial yesterday were fitting and well-delivered in my opinion.

It's fashionable these days to support the troops and to thank a soldier, especially today, on Veteran's Day. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just that here in the liberal, blue country of New York City, such thanks sometimes seems perfunctory, said more for effect than out of a genuine respect for military service. Casey spoke to that point, I think, by reminding all of us that the Army is not those people out there, to be pitied when the chips are down. Rather, soldiers are drawn from the same neighborhoods, churches and schools that all of us inhabit, and they bury their dead in much the same way that we do. As Casey put it:

'So as we grieve as an Army family, as we wrap our arms around the families of our fallen comrades, I would say to you all: Grieve with us, don’t grieve for us.'

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