I have been honored to serve the military for 40 years, both in and out of uniform. I have seen the military evolve from the early 1960s through the 2000s, from the days of the draft to the all-volunteer force we have today.
While I despair at the changes of the past few years where the military has become a kind of social experiment, I continue to revere the warrior ethos instilled in our young men and women.
The face of warfare has changed dramatically over the years since the days of WWII, to Korea, to jungles of Vietnam and now the Middle East and beyond.
The burdens of warfare have also changed over this period. WW II lasted about four years, Korea, about two and Vietnam was usually a one-year war for soldiers unless they volunteered to return.
This is much different than the war-fighting of the past 14 years with deployments of whole units for 12 or 15 months in the fight, followed by a short reprieve for 12 to 18 months, only to face another and another and another deployment.
And still our military men and women answer the call and rise up to defend our country. God only knows how they do it, but they do.
Unfortunately, many (most) Americans have little knowledge of the sacrifice it takes to keep our country safe and the effect it has on not only our military, but our military families as well.
Marriages break up at higher rates, family violence is on the rise, children lose a parent and suicides among our military are literally higher than any other segment of society. These are the undeniable facts our military members face every day, all day.
Also undeniable is the fact that anyone who has ever donned the uniform of the United State military, regardless of color, race or religion, has become part of the Brothers In Arms and therefore are now a part of the rarest citizens of our country.
National Public Radio states military personnel (including active duty, National Guard, Air National Guard and the Reserves) make up less than one percent of the total U.S. population, an astonishingly small percentage of the 300 million plus citizens of the country.
I for one, am proud and humbled by the honor to be a part of our brothers in arms. There is a bond that forms between us that few understand. It is the moment when we join together as Americans and state our oath to protect and defend our country against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. And that bond can never be broken between us.
God bless all who have served and who are now serving our country.
Roger F. Casale
Lt. Col., U.S. Army (Retired)
Peachtree City, Ga.
I have been honored to serve the military for 40 years, both in and out of uniform. I have seen the military evolve from the early 1960s through the 2000s, from the days of the draft to the all-volunteer force we have today.
While I despair at the changes of the past few years where the military has become a kind of social experiment, I continue to revere the warrior ethos instilled in our young men and women.
The face of warfare has changed dramatically over the years since the days of WWII, to Korea, to jungles of Vietnam and now the Middle East and beyond.
The burdens of warfare have also changed over this period. WW II lasted about four years, Korea, about two and Vietnam was usually a one-year war for soldiers unless they volunteered to return.
This is much different than the war-fighting of the past 14 years with deployments of whole units for 12 or 15 months in the fight, followed by a short reprieve for 12 to 18 months, only to face another and another and another deployment.
And still our military men and women answer the call and rise up to defend our country. God only knows how they do it, but they do.
Unfortunately, many (most) Americans have little knowledge of the sacrifice it takes to keep our country safe and the effect it has on not only our military, but our military families as well.
Marriages break up at higher rates, family violence is on the rise, children lose a parent and suicides among our military are literally higher than any other segment of society. These are the undeniable facts our military members face every day, all day.
Also undeniable is the fact that anyone who has ever donned the uniform of the United State military, regardless of color, race or religion, has become part of the Brothers In Arms and therefore are now a part of the rarest citizens of our country.
National Public Radio states military personnel (including active duty, National Guard, Air National Guard and the Reserves) make up less than one percent of the total U.S. population, an astonishingly small percentage of the 300 million plus citizens of the country.
I for one, am proud and humbled by the honor to be a part of our brothers in arms. There is a bond that forms between us that few understand. It is the moment when we join together as Americans and state our oath to protect and defend our country against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. And that bond can never be broken between us.
God bless all who have served and who are now serving our country.
Roger F. Casale
Lt. Col., U.S. Army (Retired)
Peachtree City, Ga.
