Thank You
There is little time for me now to spread my wings before I'm forced to fold them back. Freedom is priceless. Honestly. Still, besides that, life in the military isn't all that bad. It is at least loads better than what our forefathers had gone through and for that I'm thankful. There is much which I wish to say but there is little time now for me to write or pen them down. Perhaps I will now carry a notebook and pen with me around army, so that as and when time allows for it, I shall pen down all that I wish to say and publish it once I get back home. For now however, this short reflection which I wrote for my official reflection of the first two weeks of BMT will have to suffice.
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One way in which BMT has changed me was that it gave me a whole new different perspective of a walk of life which has always been so highly publicized by the media – that of military life. The military has always been glorified by the media as defenders of the nation and defenders of freedom. War is something which no historian commenting on modern history can afford to avoid. The great wars of our time have spun out countless movies and documentaries, many of which lauded the heroism of the men in uniform while lamenting the terrible consequences of war.
I have felt in the past that the military was somewhat over glorified; that the media in its attempt to produce movies which will be popular and tasteful with the masses has added too much polish to the military life. The impression I had of the military before undergoing BMT was that the military consisted of people who had a tendency for violence, of people who wanted an excuse to let out their inner demons in war and that all such things about defending, glory and honor was but a scam to cover up the atrocious acts in which they have committed. Besides, armies have a notorious reputation of being corrupted by people who are drug and sex addicts. It would be grossly inaccurate to say that such people do not exist in the present day militaries of our nation and that of others; yet going through BMT has allowed me access to a new perceptive that for some in the military, the movies are just doing them justice for the sacrifices which they have made.
BMT made me realized that being a military personnel meant giving up on many freedoms and rights which a citizen possessed. One literally gives up those rights so that others may enjoy it when one signs up with the military. All that talk about defending freedom is hardly nonsense. It is true. There will always be black sheep in any organization, much less the army. It may be true that the army does include people who shame it, yet BMT has now made me more aware than ever, of the sacrifices which hundred of thousands of military personnel make each year around the world. In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." It is sad but true that as civilians who have long enjoyed freedom, we have forgotten that men have died so that we may have it. It is easy to forget in times of peace that sacrifices are still being made continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that we may stay safe. Being a military personnel means giving up a large portion of your rights to a freedom of expression. It necessarily means subjecting yourself to a rigid chain of command without which the military cannot function effectively as a fighting force. It means that you will be separated from your loved ones for periods of time and being unable to spend time with them. Having lived alone, I know what it means to be separated from my loved ones, yet, being separated from your loved ones while being a civilian is worlds apart from being separated in the line of duty. It may be the endless routine of military life, or that you can only call at certain times, or that you are stuck in that base due to orders against your wishes; but being separated in the line of duty is certainly worse off than being separated while being a civilian.
That is the basic sacrifice of every soldier in this world. For those who are based in places faraway from home, for those on duty during festive seasons, the sacrifice increases. Every year, hundreds and thousands of personnel sacrifice precious time away from their loved ones; silently patrolling and doing their duty so that other families could enjoy the festive season. They put up with the lack of freedom and the routine droning of military life so that others may not have it. For those who are ordered into war, the stakes increases to the ultimate price of their very lives. There are soldiers out there patrolling in war torn areas everyday, thousands of miles away from their loved ones; and not knowing if they’ll ever see their loved ones again. It is against their wishes, yet they have allowed themselves to be subjected to this chain of command and to surrender their own rights so that others may have it. These are the men which the media has been trying to do justice to, for they are truly defenders of freedom. The military doesn’t really consist of bloodthirsty people; they, more than anyone else, hope for peace.
"The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."- General Douglas MacArthur
"The military don't start wars. Politicians start wars." - Gen. William Westmoreland
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To those men and women who have died so that we may have freedom in a free world today, please accept a sincere thanks from me. Thanks for all that sacrifice which many of us never really fully appreciated. Thank you.
--------------------
One way in which BMT has changed me was that it gave me a whole new different perspective of a walk of life which has always been so highly publicized by the media – that of military life. The military has always been glorified by the media as defenders of the nation and defenders of freedom. War is something which no historian commenting on modern history can afford to avoid. The great wars of our time have spun out countless movies and documentaries, many of which lauded the heroism of the men in uniform while lamenting the terrible consequences of war.
I have felt in the past that the military was somewhat over glorified; that the media in its attempt to produce movies which will be popular and tasteful with the masses has added too much polish to the military life. The impression I had of the military before undergoing BMT was that the military consisted of people who had a tendency for violence, of people who wanted an excuse to let out their inner demons in war and that all such things about defending, glory and honor was but a scam to cover up the atrocious acts in which they have committed. Besides, armies have a notorious reputation of being corrupted by people who are drug and sex addicts. It would be grossly inaccurate to say that such people do not exist in the present day militaries of our nation and that of others; yet going through BMT has allowed me access to a new perceptive that for some in the military, the movies are just doing them justice for the sacrifices which they have made.
BMT made me realized that being a military personnel meant giving up on many freedoms and rights which a citizen possessed. One literally gives up those rights so that others may enjoy it when one signs up with the military. All that talk about defending freedom is hardly nonsense. It is true. There will always be black sheep in any organization, much less the army. It may be true that the army does include people who shame it, yet BMT has now made me more aware than ever, of the sacrifices which hundred of thousands of military personnel make each year around the world. In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, "Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them." It is sad but true that as civilians who have long enjoyed freedom, we have forgotten that men have died so that we may have it. It is easy to forget in times of peace that sacrifices are still being made continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that we may stay safe. Being a military personnel means giving up a large portion of your rights to a freedom of expression. It necessarily means subjecting yourself to a rigid chain of command without which the military cannot function effectively as a fighting force. It means that you will be separated from your loved ones for periods of time and being unable to spend time with them. Having lived alone, I know what it means to be separated from my loved ones, yet, being separated from your loved ones while being a civilian is worlds apart from being separated in the line of duty. It may be the endless routine of military life, or that you can only call at certain times, or that you are stuck in that base due to orders against your wishes; but being separated in the line of duty is certainly worse off than being separated while being a civilian.
That is the basic sacrifice of every soldier in this world. For those who are based in places faraway from home, for those on duty during festive seasons, the sacrifice increases. Every year, hundreds and thousands of personnel sacrifice precious time away from their loved ones; silently patrolling and doing their duty so that other families could enjoy the festive season. They put up with the lack of freedom and the routine droning of military life so that others may not have it. For those who are ordered into war, the stakes increases to the ultimate price of their very lives. There are soldiers out there patrolling in war torn areas everyday, thousands of miles away from their loved ones; and not knowing if they’ll ever see their loved ones again. It is against their wishes, yet they have allowed themselves to be subjected to this chain of command and to surrender their own rights so that others may have it. These are the men which the media has been trying to do justice to, for they are truly defenders of freedom. The military doesn’t really consist of bloodthirsty people; they, more than anyone else, hope for peace.
"The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."- General Douglas MacArthur
"The military don't start wars. Politicians start wars." - Gen. William Westmoreland
--------------------
To those men and women who have died so that we may have freedom in a free world today, please accept a sincere thanks from me. Thanks for all that sacrifice which many of us never really fully appreciated. Thank you.
posted by Jun Yi at 5:24 PM
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