God and Country

(File this one under rant I suppose. It's not as lighthearted as cupcakes, but I wanted it to be said anyway, and dammit...it's MY BLOG!)

I once told someone that as a child the first question my father would ask me when he got home from work was “What did you do for God and your country today?” My friend looked at me blankly. “Huh? Seriously? Like when you were a KID?” I tried to explain that it could mean anything. As a kid doing something as simple as keeping your room tidy, or getting a good grade was considered a contribution to your country. It meant that on that day, you were a productive member of society. You weren’t simply skating by, expecting things to get done around you, you picked up your share of the burden and did your part. But they were still in disbelief. To them it seemed an unrealistic expectation for a child. That sentiment concerned me. I had a renewed sense of panic reading the article in the Washington Post today. As a political science student in college the themes mentioned in this article were ones we learned about in class. The increasingly isolated ‘warrior class’, the disconnect between the civilian population and military world and their cluelessness as to what sacrifice means, the over-use of the military for non-military purposes (nation building etc) and its effects on readiness. As a student I was fascinated by these issues in the abstract sense, now I am terrified of their real world implications. And as a first hand witness to the sacrifices of the warrior class, I am beginning to wonder: Are my contributions to God and Country enough any longer? Is merely being a ‘productive member of society’ really all I can offer? Most importantly, how do we turn the next generation of our families into good citizens as our parents and grandparents did? I am the granddaughter of a Purple Heart recipient, the daughter of a career officer, the niece of a long time reservist, and the sister of an active duty officer. Will the importance of service be lost on my own children, if I can’t find a way to make a greater contribution myself? How do you impart that sense of “If not me, who?” on a generation of children that are being taught that the answer to that question is increasingly “someone else."