February
1, 2009, Volume 16 Nr. 6, Issue 250
In
the last few months I have received at least two, and if I’m
not wrong, maybe three invitations from our military to join
their ranks. The latest is from the Marines. It is really
quite a package and has a cover on which the text appears in
white: “YOUR HOMETOWN.” Under this is a flap held with
sticky spots, one of those new glues that does and doesn’t.
Inside the other side of the flap it declares “IS YOURS TO
DEFEND.” And it goes on: “All
the moments you’ve had in your hometown make it worth
defending. Becoming a Marine gives you the ability to do
that with one of the most prestigious brotherhoods in the
world.” The
question this raises for me is why I have to defend my
hometown and why I have to become a MARINE to do so. What’s
up? Who’s attacking? Do I have a weapon? Will I have
it when they come? Where are they? Is this
imminent? The
problem is, however, that I am almost 77 years old and not a
little gimpy. Also, I thought I served my time back
in1954 during the Korean “Police Action.” I
served the allotted time then and was finally discharged from
my active service into inactive service and, after a few
years, from inactive service to my early fifties. So
the fact that they are trying to get me back into the service,
and into the Marines, of all places, gives me a bit of a jolt.
I
think my “ But
here is this beautiful and very expensive card-packet from the
Marine Corps recruiters! Boy! It cost a lot of
money! (Who pays for this?) And just what do they
think they are doing inviting a 77 year-old codger to join
them? I thought they knew everything about
us…including our age and physical condition: generally, old
and poor. While
we’re at it, I have been going to write to the Pentagon and In
the pocket of the very expensive Marine greeting/recruiting
card I received is a packet of photographs: the first, the
brick front of a very nice suburban house flying an U.S. flag,
a photo of six young men holding football helmets by the face
guard over their heads in a stance which escapes my
understanding, another photo of four different “guys” in
Prom dress-up behind a group of pretty, bare-armed girls of
the same age and all posing for their “prom picture.”
There is a fourth photo of four young Marines in full dress
uniform with parade sabers at the ready and they at attention
over which is superimposed in white, like television, the
phrase: “IF YOU LOVE YOUR HOME DEFEND IT.”
There
are two more enclosures: cards for me and a buddy to fill out
because we’ll want to join. I don’t think I’ll be doing
that. ©
2009 Peter
Shepherd The writer is a retired English teacher whose compulsion to write every day leads him to comment on a variety of things. The author requests comments on this article. Click HERE to send. |