Thursday, May 15, 2008
Will he be a hero?
Iraq has become more of a part of our day to day life since moving here to Jacksonville. Many in our local homeschooling community are military families who have fathers either already been overseas, are currently there, or are about to go. We even know of two families where the father has been killed in the last year. It’s become less abstract to us than it was before.
Number One Son takes classes at a local ‘edutainment’ facility that has a special program for homeschoolers. It also has these Friday night kid’s parties where the ‘fun counselors’ play with the kids and organize activities while parents go out on their own. Many of these counselors are young men who work there part-time. It’s something that really works for us. Our boys really look up to these guys.
One of Number One Son’s favorite counselors is joining the Marines…enlisted. The young man blithely talks about doing at least two tours in Iraq where he’ll gain enough experience so when he becomes an officer, he’ll be taken seriously. Listening to him talk with such hope makes me feel so very sad…how many of the 4000 dead American soldiers thought the same thing?
My son found out about it this week and thinks it’s the coolest thing since the Nick Hotel. The questions are getting to me: He’s going to be in a battle, do you think he’ll be a hero? Will he get to shoot people? What’s Iraq?
My problem is that many of the people in our immediate community have very different views of what the war in Iraq is. I want to be honest with my son that I think that the war in Iraq is horrible and that I don’t believe that the sacrifice being asked of our armed forces is making the world a better place. At the same time I have to understand that my son’s peers have fathers there.
How do I deal with the hero worship of something that I find disgusting?
Number One Son takes classes at a local ‘edutainment’ facility that has a special program for homeschoolers. It also has these Friday night kid’s parties where the ‘fun counselors’ play with the kids and organize activities while parents go out on their own. Many of these counselors are young men who work there part-time. It’s something that really works for us. Our boys really look up to these guys.
One of Number One Son’s favorite counselors is joining the Marines…enlisted. The young man blithely talks about doing at least two tours in Iraq where he’ll gain enough experience so when he becomes an officer, he’ll be taken seriously. Listening to him talk with such hope makes me feel so very sad…how many of the 4000 dead American soldiers thought the same thing?
My son found out about it this week and thinks it’s the coolest thing since the Nick Hotel. The questions are getting to me: He’s going to be in a battle, do you think he’ll be a hero? Will he get to shoot people? What’s Iraq?
My problem is that many of the people in our immediate community have very different views of what the war in Iraq is. I want to be honest with my son that I think that the war in Iraq is horrible and that I don’t believe that the sacrifice being asked of our armed forces is making the world a better place. At the same time I have to understand that my son’s peers have fathers there.
How do I deal with the hero worship of something that I find disgusting?
