not happy

12 February 2005 @ 19:52
my mood

I'm at a Goldwing convention of sorts. The Goldwingers as a whole are great. They are friendly, patriotic, safety-minded (this is a biggie in the motorcycle world), family-oriented, ice cream lovers, and just like to have fun. And a little crazy. I don't mind that at all. They're great to be around.

One of the Chapters/clubs did a really, really nice skit that was in support (and rememberance) of the troops that were serving.

It made me really upset.

There have been a bunch of welcoming home ceremonies this week. My unit was requested to play in some. So, I already had that in the back of my mind. Welcome home ceremonies are great -- everyone's happy. Those are my favorite gigs.

But I started wondering about who's getting sent out if we're getting a bunch of people back in. And then I thought about how depressing the deployment ceremonies are. I have seen grown men cry at these ceremonies. Children are usually blissfully unaware or totally confused. Wives sit together, and for many of them the hastily thrown together Family Support Group is the only reason why they would have met. None of these people, these families expect this to happen to them. Not the first time, and definitely not the second time.

And yet they go one, two, sometimes three times. I have played at two deployment ceremonies for the same unit.

And at every single ceremony I sit there and listen to the brass tell us that we'll be taken care of, that we won't go anywhere.

It isn't fair. Why does the 20-something from a neighboring county go and die, while I go to college? These people are leaving everything, and I probably won't have to. All because I'm in the band.

But one day we're going to run out of manpower. Then who are they going to send?

And I feel betrayed by the government. They said this would be short. An in and out operation. It's been too long.
--Annie

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