Lately I’ve been hearing complaints in the news by people who are friends and family of military personnel, saying that we need to get them home so they can be with their families. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that they’re wrong. Do we have a draft on? Are people being forced to join the military? No! They’re signing up because they want to and because they feel it’s the right thing for them to do.

Military service is a job. When you take a job, especially one like this, you know what you’re committing to because it’s explained up front. Military jobs have a high possibility of being transferred to different locations or to dangerous locations. Sometimes the family cannot come along. People in the military understand this because it’s part of what they signed up for. They may decide to go ahead and have a family, which is fine, but they have to understand that it will be difficult and that their military service may require them to be separated from their family at times.

People, especially non-military people, have no right to tell the world or their country that their loved ones in the military should be at home with their families. They’ll be there when they can, but they signed up knowing that there could very well be times that wasn’t possible. This is one guilt trip that anyone responsible for military action should not have laid on them.

UPDATE: (1/26/07) This morning there was a story on NPR about a homecoming celebration in Fort Drum, NY, that was having to be postponed because of redeployment. While some people were saying how unfair it was, it was nice to hear the military families being interviewed say that it was part of the job and, while it’s tough right now, they’ll deal with it and get through it like they have in the past. Quite admirable!! Nothing but kudos for them!

[tags]military, family, separation[/tags]