Question return

I wanted to flashback for a moment to a question I received from a reader a few weeks back. If you want to read the question, you can do so by clicking here.

To sum up her question: how does she handle negative responses from people regarding her son's desire to enter the military.

Here is how I would handle this.

Let's assume everyone is a pacifist that asks this. They don't believe in war. Fine. War aside, the military is needed. Who goes in to help after a natural disaster like Katrina? Who goes to the site of a tsunami or an earthquake? Aside from war-related issues, the military is still needed.

Now let's skip forward a bit. Let's say that the USA had no military. Do you think we would be allowed to continue operating as a free country? Are these individuals prepared to defend our country themselves with their own guns when people come to take over our country?

And despite the fact that some people are pacifists, war does exist. Everyone is up in arms about what was happening in Darfur. They said we were letting Germany extinguish people all over again. How can we help in these affairs without a military to do so.

That being said, the percentage of troops that die overseas is incredibly low. The truth is, you have a better chance of getting killed in a car accident in the U.S. then dying in Iraq or Afghanistan. Different branches are more dangerous. The marines are obviously the first line, Army second. Air Force and Navy usually have the lowest casualties and injuries.

I would simply approach these people with the statistics and facts. However, I have found, in the case of adoption and infertility and the military, you sometimes have to read a person. If they are so ignorant and set-in-their-ways, it may often be better to let their ignorance continue onward and not try to confront them. However, it is hard to let things like that fly.

I think it absolutely FABULOUS your son is going into the military. It is a guaranteed career. It is something that will give him purpose, focus, dedication, and discipline like nothing else. I would encourage him to continue on with his dreams of defending our country and protecting her.

I hope that helps.