Why I refuse to see American Sniper
Here’s the Link to the CNN essay and appearance:
(CNN)“American Sniper” stormed the box office this past weekend with $105 million in ticket sales. Not since the Rambo movies have so many farmers and ranch hands buddy-upped to the popcorn counter. As much as I adore Bradley Cooper, I won’t be seeing the movie. I can’t see it.
And my reluctance to see it has nothing to do with Michael Moore’s flippant assertion that snipers are cowards (although he said he wasn’t talking about the movie). I was always taught that cowards are those who refuse to serve their country.
Read the rest of the essay at CNN.Com
44 Comments
Lauren
about 9 years agoI just read your article on CNN. I really enjoyed it… very well articulated. Unfortunately I don’t think that a war movie about “us” instead of us vs them would do well at the box office.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoLauren: You are right, of course. We need conflict. War provides that.
ReplyJC
about 9 years agoI just read your CNN article about the movie American Sniper. Although I haven't seen the movie I did read the book and in my opinion it appears that the book follows the movie so it should do all those things you wish Hollywood would do in a war movie (i.e. Saving Private Ryan). FWIW my stepfather was a Navy surgeon based at Danang in the late 60's. I saw plenty of photos of the wounds and catastrophic damage that war inflicts. It was enough for me to decide against enlistment.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoJC: While I haven't seen the movie, I did interview people who have seen it. My understanding is that there is a fictionalized storyline about Kyle regarding his reasoning for returning to Iraq, to take out a Syrian sniper. So it becomes a competition between two snipers (nothing like a good competition to lure Americans). As I've said, I don't mind if others want to see it, and if they learn something about the trauma of war through a fictionalized account of Kyle's military service then terrific. Even better if they then go and get involved in helping veterans and military families as a result of what they have learned via the movie or the book. For me, I already know the traumas, personally and through friends. When I think of a sniper, I remember my friend Gordon and the trauma he suffered as a result of a sniper in Vietnam. There are those among us who are just like Gordon, living with the aftermath day in and day out. And their families trying to desperately to understand how to reclaim the man lost to war.
ReplyVan Doren
about 9 years agoI was a Dustoff medic in Vietnam. When grunts on the ground come under fire, everyone seeks whatever "cover & concealment" he can find - except the medic. He will go towards the gunfire, again & again, to recover the wounded. Too often, I had to recover that medic.
Karen Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoI have heard that medics are the ones who suffer the most PTSD. I would imagine that to be the case. Thank you for doing your best to save men like my father. Welcome Home.
Mike Steeves
about 9 years agoBoy howdy, but you hit the nail on the head with this essay. Well done, and well said.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoThank you, Mike
ReplyJohn Wyrick
about 9 years agoI must confess i clicked on your opinion link on CNN expecting to find some mindless banter along the lines of Moore. I was truly surprised at what I found. I do understand your reasons as I have something of a similar reason to see it. You see my father went to Vietnam, But while he returned looking the same he was not nor ever was again the same man. I served my time during peace and only had some close calls during protest in foreign countries and the like,so I have an unfulfillable need to "see" what he went through. The man i called dad was very stoic and firm, not one to laugh or smile, very serious and responsible. I on the other hand am quite the prankster and find humor everywhere, imagine my surprise when I was told at his funeral by a classmate that "your dad was the class clown" You see I find myself drawn to the true horror of war trying to find answers to who I am because I never knew my father only the shell that came back. I tell you this so that you can see that there is a need for true depictions of war, not to glorify it but to understand the affects it has on mankind.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoJohn: I understand why you are compelled to see it, why you hope for some understanding. I felt the same way when I was writing AFTER THE FLAG HAS BEEN FOLDED. My mother was upset by my pursuit for the truth of my father's death (there was a controversy over whether it was friendly fire or enemy fire. It was friendly). Anyway, she mistakenly thought my search was a way to reclaim that which was lost. "All of this won't bring your father back," she said. But she was wrong. It did bring my father back to me and for my children. Reading the book helped my own children know their grandfather in a way they hadn't before. So I understand your need to go back and explore the father that you didn't know, the one who was the class clown, the one who lost a part of himself to a war that never made any sense. So, yes, I support you. I can't see American Sniper. But I am okay that others do. My hope is that it compels people to have deep discussions about war and its cost, and that ultimately it leads them to get involved with helping veterans and our military families. Thank you for reading and for sharing your story. I am sorry the war robbed you of a dad without PTSD.
ReplyRichard Mullin
about 9 years agoOnly "us" indeed. St. Ignatius of Loyola- founded the Jesuit order based on such a principal in 1521. After getting his leg mangled by a French cannonball, and having his fellow Spaniard commanders leave him for dead, his French enemies helped nurse him back to health...and a great new spirituality with a simple message- "Men for others"
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoThank you, Richard, for reminding us.
ReplyDavid Ames
about 9 years agoI understand not wanting to see the movie. This and others such as Restrepo and Lone Survivor remind me of how I failed to get over there. I did 8 in the Navy, and got out. Thirteen years later I became an officer in the Army Medical Corps (Guard). I wanted that deployment, and needed it despite how crazy people thought the idea was. But my shoulder gave out, and I had to get out. I've had friends and family deploy in various branches during the gulf wars, but I just couldn't get there.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoDavid: Thank you for that grace of understanding. Thank you, too, for volunteering. I am glad you are around to tell your stories.
ReplySteve
about 9 years agoHi Karen, Just read your article on CNN regarding the American Sniper movie. I began my reading with trepidation hoping not to read from another protester of US participation in various overseas conflicts and Hollywood's glorification of such. For perspective I am a retired USAF officer of 23 years. I am very proud of my service to defend this country and my involvement in conflicts including Gulf War I/II, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. However, what I read was how you touched on the inequality of support for veterans in different eras. In my opinion and experience dealing with our veteran services, WWII and 9/11 era vets are glorified and well looked after. As they should be. Yet other eras, such as Vietnam and Gulf War I/II vets may not be. All of our veterans have sacrificed so much, even the ultimate sacrifice such as your father, to protect our country and it's way of life. Your article really touched me and I hope that our veteran support extends equally to all eras of veterans. Best Regards, Steve
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoSteve: Thank you for reading the essay and for sharing your own thoughts & experiences. Welcome Home! Thank you for serving! But yes, you are correct, there has been a great deal of inequality in how we treat our veterans. I am guilty as the next. For years I traveled around this nation, speaking on behalf of Gold Star families, telling my family's story, getting help for veterans and serving as I could from my viewpoint as a writer. Then two summers ago I was at a family reunion and saw an ailing family member. Someone in my immediate circle. I inquired of another relative: What is wrong with him? And she told me the story of how he was injured in the service during a tour in German, and needed medical care but didn't have any. What do you mean? I asked. He's a veteran. He won't go, she said. He doesn't think he has earned it. So I set about getting him help. Here I'd been helping all these other vets and unaware of my own relative's plight. I got him plugged into the VA in Boise and tomorrow he gets the surgery he has so long needed. Through my veteran contacts I helped him understand that he served and earned the health care available to him. But I could have done this 10 years earlier if I had not been wearing the blinders of veteran inequality. I feel bad about what I failed to do but glad that he is finally getting the help he needs. So yes, even those of us immersed in helping veterans, even we sometimes make the mistakes of viewing one veteran different from others.
ReplyVan Doren
about 9 years agoI have never applied for VA care, despite appeals from my wife & brother. I've had recurrent lower GI troubles ever since I picked up an unfriendly amoeba in VN, but never lost time from work over it. Ditto for immersion foot. I have always been able to afford excellent health coverage, even in retirement. That said, I do believe VA care should be available to all who need & deserve it.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoSadly, far too many of our veterans go without health care because they don't live near a VA clinic or hospital. Or they don't feel worthy to collect what they earned. Thank you, again, for your service. I am glad you are doing okay. I wish you didn't have the lingering health issues from your service.
ReplyRob
about 9 years agoI think Hollywood did make that movie, and the publishers did publish that book. They were both called, "All Quiet on the Western Front". Unfortunately, as history has shown over and over, the worst is yet to come. As ugly and ethically/morally mind bending as wars have been, at least they have been in your face. People's hands were bloodied. People's minds were forever horribly singed with the burning memory of first-hand death and destruction. What happens when defense technology completely takes that first-hand experience away from us? Does anyone really think that will improve society? I want so much to be an optimist about this, but history just keeps getting in the way.... Peace to you, sister.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoThank you, Rob. You raise some thoughtful questions. I don't have any answers to them, of course. I pray. I hope. I try to live the best life I can. I try to challenge myself to think. I don't believe that we have to accept an "us" and "them" framework for life. We can choose differently.
ReplyTammy
about 9 years agoThis movie does exactly what you ask. It shows us kill them and them kill us and the circle goes round. Innocents on both sides are shown to be destroyed by the war going on around them. I'm not sure it incites patriotism, maybe appreciation for the men and women who go through war so the rest of us don't have to. If anything it showed futility of war and it is tragic.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoTammy: While I have not seen the movie I did interview people who have seen it. They made some of the same comments you have made. In fact, in the article I state that they have told me I was missing out by not seeing it. A refrain many have reiterated via Twitter/FB, etc. I hope those who do see it do come away with a sense of obligation toward veterans and military families. And more than that, I hope they go about getting involved with a veteran's organization, helping the veteran up the street, or the military family whose loved one in buried in a national cemetery. But surely, you understand why I cannot see it. Perhaps if I had never met Gordon Wofford, never heard his stories, never seen the aftermath of a sniper's bullet up close and personal. Many of my other friends who have lost fathers in Vietnam feel the same as I do. They can't watch movies like this. Many veterans I know cannot either. There's a wisdom in knowing one's limitations.
ReplyTammy
about 9 years agoI agree and understand. I hope that the people that do see it come away with the same sinking feeling my family and I did. This is not a "feel good about America" movie. As a parent of a 16 year old boy, I was humbled watching this. He states he is so impressed by the brotherhood and dedication but he can't believe what people have to live through. And for everyone who has served, and their families who sacrificed their time and sense of safety my and I are very grateful. But, yes I do understand. You don't need to see it. Sounds as though you have personally experienced it. For those of us removed it's a good thing I think.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoTammy: I agree. If it gives insight to those who don't know, that's a very good thing. There are a lot of movies I avoid because of the heaviness of them. I couldn't even sit through Hunger Games because it upset me too much to see kids killing kids. Odd, that all my crime work as a reporter doesn't disturb me to the level that fiction can.
ReplyRichard Ault
about 9 years agoReading this piece I found it to be thoughtful and and clearly heart-felt. Unfortunately it could also serve as Exhibit A as to why the vast majority of Americans find the "Literary-Media-Entertainment" elite so unremittingly loathsome. Very early in the essay Ms. Zacharias shows her true colors with her smarmy attribution of the movie's success to "farmers and ranch hands" lining up at the box office. I had to read this a couple times to make sure I got it right. Very rarely does the outright contempt in which the "elites" hold the majority of the population get demonstrated so openly. I am military veteran (non-combat), I hold two advanced degrees, and I am on the faculty of a major medical school, yet I am deemed a farmer or a ranch hand (both of which are are honorable professions, and those who proudly do these jobs certainly contribute more to this society than the likes of Ms. Zacharias). It's fine that you have such contempt for ordinary Americans, just dial it back and we might actually debate the ideas expressed in your piece.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoRichard; We've already had our conversation about your note. For all others see my reply to JGT.
ReplyJGTinNJ
about 9 years agoI too will not see the movie. There is a reason why suicide rates of returning soldiers is so high, and why so many suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. I feel for and support the brave people who have fought on our behalf, I condemn the political leadership that has placed so many ordinary Joes in these situations. I did not understand the swipe in the article about farmers and Rambo movies. Your point in the article was well made, no need to display a rude contempt for people you think are dumber or less enlightened than you are.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoIn probably one of the best examples of our relentless "us" and "them" mentality is this notion that farmers and ranch-hands is a derogatory or snarky remark. It honestly never occurred to me that anyone in America would consider that to be a snide or rude remark. When I was at the movies this past weekend - to see Wild, a wonderful movie - I saw more men at the movie than I have ever seen before. Since I live in rural America where the main industry here is farming or ag, many of those men were exactly what I described. Had I walked into the theater and seen little girls in red coats and yellow rain boots at the counter, I would have used that as an example. Unfortunately the line "at my local theater" got cut in the editing process, as these things go. But never in a million years would I think that anyone connected the word farmer as something derogatory. The fact that I can't understand how it could be perceived that way may only be further indication of the growing divide between rural America and the rest of the nation. It is only "us" people. There is no intent of a slam in an essay about that very topic.
ReplyBob F
about 9 years agoI'm curious to what you meant on this comment I read on CNN: "What I keep wondering is why all these moviegoers weren't lining up to volunteer for war." Do you think people have to serve to fully understand the horrors of war and appreciate the sacrifices our service men and women make? I abhor war because I have seen the damage it does to humans, physically and mentally, but I am totally fascinated by the subject. I think the question that should be posed is; "Why do our leaders continue to lie about reasons to go to war and why aren't they lining up their sons and daughters to volunteer. Great article, by the way.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoWhat I mean is that if they need entertainment as a form of grasping the trauma of war, perhaps they should have volunteered. Only .5 of 1 percent of our population served in Iraq/Afghanistan. Our men and women were doing 4 to 5 different tours primarily because we don't do drafts anymore. So only a very small percentage of the population pays the price for everyone else. If Congress thinks war is the answer, then shouldn't they have the kahunas to enact a draft so that at least the pain of war is equitably distributed?
ReplyJohnny
about 9 years agoI servered this country and retired honorably, I know the story and read the book of Chris Kyle. I've also viewed the movie and will see it again because of what this man was drawn to do fir his country and his buddies. This movie does not glorify war, it tells the tale of a boy, taught a skill amoungst many to live honorably, respect others and to follow through with choices you make in like. To be the best and whatever it is you decide to do. He was drawn as some of us were to do something to defend this country, a 30 year old man becoming a SEAL is hard to believe... He made it happen when others younger the he, could not. This movie of Kyle and his desire to keep his guys alive was not glamourised, though he received praise from those that knew of him. He is just and average man with a skill to inflict damage a great distances. He did his job and it took a toll on him, his wife and it was told. Who really knows the story of Kyle and the other sniper, it has happend before with Carlos Hathcock who was a decorated sniper years before Kyle and his story was also worthy of being told. War is ugly, but has gone one since the beginning and unfortunately will be a part of our future and long as man draws breath. Oh, and Mike Moore has the nerve to call someone a coward, present a service record please.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoJohnny: Thank you for your service. And for reading the essay & sharing your thoughts. I don't have a problem if others see the movie. I'm just saying that for me, I can't. Perhaps if I hadn't known someone whose live was so badly affected by a sniper's bullet. But I also worry about turning war into entertainment. If this movie gets the masses to better understand what soldiers and military families endure, then that is a good, good thing. If those moviegoers then go out and do something on behalf of veterans and military families - other than lip service - that will be a great thing. However, if all this movie does is entertain the masses and drive them into a patriotic fervor, that is not art, that is war propaganda.
ReplyPaul W
about 9 years agoFirst, I'll say "Bravo!" for your separation from Michael Moore and his form of shock commentary that is calculated more to draw attention than to actually advance serious debate. Anyone with even minimal understanding of the history of war knows that the role of the modern sniper is necessitated by the evolution warfare. But when you say "you have little tolerance for ... the patriotic, almost nationalistic fervor that accompanies a flag-draped coffin", I cannot understand this position. Really! ... you don't experience feelings of patriotism when you see such a ceremony? My father's funeral tribute certainly evoked them in me and, I dare say, most in attendance. He was a Korean War veteran. I, myself, joined the Navy before the end of Viet Nam, but spent my active time during the peace of the late 70s and early 80s. I plan to see the movie with my wife tomorrow evening (not her first choice, I'll have to endure a rom-com next time) mainly because war movies have always captivated me, not for the gruesome portrayals of death, but for the portrayals of grit that I believe most of us _men_ have hoped since childhood that we would display when presented the opportunity. In my generation, another genre, the westerns of my youth, evoked similar feelings. The feeling is also similar to the experience of watching a news report about someone reacting swiftly in everyday life to save someone from a burning car, for example. I enjoy thinking about how I would surely do the same. So, I cannot help but believe that your reluctance to see the movie has as much to do with a gender gap as your personal experience with the consequences of war. I don't really know what to call it, but I don't know any women that would express the kind of feelings I describe above. Do you?
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoI don't think my reluctance to see the movie is in any way, shape, or form a result of my gender. It is the result of my collective experiences.
ReplyAdam
about 9 years agoDear Karen, I recently read your post about on CNN's website about the American Sniper movie. First off I am sorry about your father, unfortunately sometimes war takes good people off this planet. But, you have absolutely no experience with war and should not be commenting on those who have put their lives on the line. Your article makes me sick how you try to portray yourself as someone who has been through the ringer or war, losing a family member does not give your the right to say you wear the same boots as the veteran community. I cant speak for your father or the veterans who died, but as a vet myself I surely didn't sign up for the recognition. To say that the nation was ungrateful and seemly upset that your father didn't have the welcome home that Kyle did makes me sick. You have your own story line and here is mine. Kyle loved his country so much that for years on end he sacrificed his family for men and women of this nation. He felt he had the obligation to use his talent to help fathers, mothers, daughter and sons live another day and come home to their families. War is hell and sometimes women and children participate in combat, you need a good dose of wake the F*** up. Spend a few months over there and you will understand why they are savages. Who doesn't wish there was peace on earth, but that's not reality and the world is always going to need volunteers to stand up for the people and for what is right. Take some of your own advise and get in that line and go join the war then you can have a little credibility about writing this article, until then stop speculating on how the military trains its men and women and writing about what people tell you. You're a joke and should know better. Im sure this will upset some people, but as some of these posts go people are commenting on something they have never seen. Unreal ......
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoAdam: I appreciate that you took time to offer your thoughts, but they seem more like a lecture - or scolding - than an effort to engage in thoughtful dialogue.
ReplyJames
about 9 years agoAdam, I really feel sorry for you. So you are saying unless you have been there you can't understand it? In one respect that is true, but I think when a family loses their loved one they have ALL THE RIGHT IN THE WORLD to express how they feel. I would hope you understand that your service is what allows people, ALL PEOPLE, in this country to speak freely. Karen has sacrificed and you shouldn't ever question that. Shame on you. And oh by the way, I spent 29 years in uniform and I've seen it all. Karen got it right.
ReplyJames Ellis
about 9 years agoHi Karen, I guess I am a little lost on how you can comment on a movie that you haven't seen personally. While your story and experiences are compelling, writing about a movie you haven't seen seems a little pointless. I understand you have a story to tell and your empathy for veterans families, but I am not sure YOUR story should be used as a comparison to the movie. I saw the movie. I am a veteran. I shook hands with the Vietnam veterans in Bangor, Maine as they greeted every plane load of soldiers returning from Desert Shield/Storm, despite the way they were treated when they returned home so many years ago. This movie tells its own story, different than your story or a thousand other veterans stories. It's doesn't glorify war or killing. It's hard to watch at times. For those who have not encountered war, and all that comes with it, it can be an education on what our military personnel endure and encounter to protect our country. Is the acting great-not really. Are the scenes realistic-squirming in your seat realistic. Does it try to depict what it is like to be a family member of a deployed soldier-yes. If you have not been around the military, it attempts to show the state side and deployed life of our military personnel. Although I have never met you, I read the article on CNN, and this movie doesn't glorify war or snipers-it shows the inner workings of one man and one unit as they try to protect our freedom-and sometimes that just isn't pretty or glamorous at all.
ReplyKaren Spears Zacharias
about 9 years agoJames: The movie is not a documentary. It is a story. While it may show some of the trauma of war, it is also a form of entertainment. Having had a good friend wounded badly by a sniper's bullet, I have no interest in seeing this film. But I am okay if it teaches others. In fact, I hope it does that.
ReplyEmily
about 9 years agoMy boyfriend desperately wants me to see this movie, Chris Kyle remains his hero, but I find I don't have the heart to watch it. Like Kyle, my boyfriend is a sniper, he previously served for the Army before going into the private sector recently, and it scares the crap out of me. I see him for roughly 75 days of the year, and the other 290 days or so, I spend in constant worry. If I don't hear from him for a few days, the worry becomes full blown anxiety. I grew up in this life, I know the cost, I see it in my increasingly absent father who deals with PTSD and the loss of many friends to suicide. I worry that will one day be the case of my relationship. But your article was correct: there is an 'us' vs 'them' mentality, even with the tech guys, and I don't understand it. My boyfriend is kind, friendly, and understanding. He reacts to any sort of extremism with the same frustration of any logical person, and it doesn't change his view of people of the same religion or race. When he's dealing with anyone of Middle Eastern descent in the US, he treats them as he would anyone else. But when he talks about Iraq or Afghanistan, there's a change: the derogatory names and general mistrust and disrespect start up. I suppose if you're trained that your life is endangered by the native people that surround you in only those places, you would react that way, and dehumanizing the people you fight is unfortunately a likely suicide prevention tactic. How else would could anyone but a psychopath cope with that sort of death? I think that's terribly wrong, but a part of me understands the direction. I cannot watch American Sniper because I'm afraid it will predict my future, but am I doing myself and my boyfriend a disservice by not going to see it?
ReplyAFRoger
about 9 years agoEmily, Thank you for your kind, intelligent and courageous words. You already know more and consider more about our recent and current wars than most Americans ever will. Only you can make the decision about seeing this film, but I don't think the question has a right or wrong answer. We live life in particularities, but so often war forces us into generalities. I will offer a suggestion that you might choose as a "this-not-that" alternative to the film. I found the book Soul Repair--Recovering from Moral Injury after War by Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini to offer some new perspectives at the human being level that I had not heard much of before. It's a book. If it doesn't speak to you, you can put it down and give it away. BTW, both women write from a professional perspective informed by personal experience. I am a Cold War veteran of the Vietnam era (we kept the Cold War from becoming hot), and I served in the Middle East for nearly three years in a very different time. A cousin and a close friend from 12 years of school were KIA in Vietnam. A brother-in-law served there in combat, and my late and best male friend in life was a Cobra pilot in 'Nam. I've sat and prayed with many veterans as a pastor and chaplain. One of them, an Iraq War vet, lives the life today that my mother's young cousin, a WWI vet, did back in the 1920's. Thrown out by his own family, he came to live with my maternal grandparents. As an adolescent girl, my Mom experienced first-hand what it took decades to give a clinical name. It was more than PTSD. It was moral injury AND PTSD together. She never forgot. We all face questions of the costs borne by the individuals who serve on our behalf. I consider that the oath of enlistment I took on 8/15/69 did not expire on my date of discharge. It's actually what we are all born into as citizens of this nation, what we bind ourselves to again and again each time we say the pledge or salute the flag. We the people own the costs of the burdens borne by our fellow citizens. We also own the questions of the wisdom and effectiveness of the actions taken by our nation in the world. It's the irony of the complexity we face that some of the actions taken in the name of our security in fact provoke reactions that make us less secure and less safe. Wrestling with these complexities is not first and foremost the responsibility of the military. It is the role and responsibility of free citizens. It is the exercise of the very freedom that our nation's actions, outwardly at least, are intended to protect and preserve. Yet as we all know, actions taken on behalf of the many have costs borne by the disproportionately very few. Based on your very perceptive words, I'd just say THANK YOU for being the kind of person your boyfriend needs, the kind of citizen our nation needs. Prayers for you both. God bless!
ReplyStephen Rosedale
about 9 years agoI was wounded in Vietnam, six months in a hospital. No parades when I came home in a stretcher, we were called baby killers; and it took 15 years to make the Vietnam memorial which finally made us veterans feel like you cared. I don't want to see this movie because it brings back difficult memories but I honor those who made it and for whom it is made, our American soldiers. They go though Hell, literally, and it doesn't leave them when they come home. You owe it to them to understand what they go through because without them 9/11 will be a regular occurrence, the Boston Marathon bombing will come to a neighborhood near you and you'll never look at someone who might look Middle-Eastern without a twinge of fear. Honor or soldiers, their stories and if we make them into heroes, they deserve it. God Bless America!
ReplyKevin Leyland
about 9 years agoJust read the article about American Sniper. I take great offense to the comment that says you were taught "cowards are those who refuse to serve their country". Since I have been alive there has been the Korean war, Viet Nam and countless storms in the Middle East. And during all those conflicts, my personal freedom has never been affected. Just because our Government thinks it has to be the worlds police department, does not mean that people who don't agree with that policy are cowards. I guarantee that if this country was attacked militarily, there would be no one in front of me on the front line. But I will not get involved in wars that are none of my(our) business. There has been conflict in the middle east since before there was a United States. We need to monitor that from a distance, not get our people killed in it.
ReplyJames
about 9 years agoYour reasoning is exactly why others serve. You wouldn't have the privilege of speaking those words if you lived in North Korea, Cuba or China. You say you won't get involved in wars you don't support but you certainly enjoy the freedom provided by those who do. In my world I call that freeloading. You should appreciate those who serve.
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