One soldier thinks so:

Soldier: Honor troops like Va. Tech dead

An Army sergeant complained in a rare opinion article that the U.S. flag flew at half-staff last week at the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan for those killed at Virginia Tech but the same honor is not given to fallen U.S. troops here and in Iraq.

In the article issued Monday by the public affairs office at Bagram military base north of Kabul, Sgt. Jim Wilt lamented that his comrades’ deaths have become a mere blip on the TV screen, lacking the “shock factor” to be honored by the Stars and Stripes as the deaths at Virginia Tech were.

“I find it ironic that the flags were flown at half-staff for the young men and women who were killed at VT, yet it is never lowered for the death of a U.S. service member,” Wilt wrote.

Well, not necessarily.  The article notes that some states lower their flags for soldiers from that state, but his point is well taken.

But I can’t agree with him.  The death of the VT people was an unexpected shock to the community and the nation because it involved non combatants, civilians going about their daily lives who had every reasonable expectation of going to class and going home.

Soldiers in combat have a completely different expectation.  We know there will deaths reported.

Now the larger point of his, that the people here in the states treat the soldiers deaths as blips on the news is very well taken, and yes, I agree that not enough respect is given the troops.

But the troops killed in battle are honored.  They are given honor guards, military burials and other honors not conferred to the civilians, so to say there is a lack of respect by granting the civilians a flag at half staff is, in my opinion, not supported.

And not to be cynical, but if the nation lowered it’s flags for a day for the troops killed, not too many days would the flags be flying full staff.  That is the grim reality of war.

We also, sadly live in a society where the average person doesn’t even know how to raise a flag to half staff properly, nor retire it with proper ceremony.

Some might argue that during war they should be lowered, but I again say no.

Look…in a time of war, I want our flag flying as high and as proud as possible.  It is our banner, our rallying place, our symbol of resolve and freedom, and our reminder of the men and women fighting for our freedom.

I might wish more people supported the war and troops, but for those of us who do, the honor to the lives sacrificed will never be trivial.

And the families of the people of Virginia Tech are also worthy of some of that respect as well.

The Flag is big enough for all of us.

Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Mark My Words, The Random Yak, basil’s blog, DragonLady’s World, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, , Pet’s Garden Blog, third world county, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.  

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