Several United States Air Force Airmen were asked during a leadership school, what is the mission of the military. The airmen thought about it, then attempted to answer the question. Most gave answers they got off a recruiting poster or out of a training manual, but none gave the correct answer, at least not the answer the instructor wanted.
After hearing the answers the instructor came back with this; the mission of the military is to kill people and break things. Not the answer the airmen expected to hear!
While it's true that in war, the military does kill people and break things, but their mission is much more complex than that. To suggest that is the primary objective of the military is to have a myopic view of the world we live in. The problems we face are rarely black and white. Most times there are gray areas and many times the issues are in full color and high definition.
The men and women of the military have an incredibly difficult task in the 21st century, and lets face it, it wasn’t any easier in the 20th. The United States has troops deployed to every corner of the globe engaging in everything from all out war to humanitarian relief. Some missions are met with broad public support, others aren’t. Parades were thrown to celebrate the success for some, while others were spat on upon their return. Some came home whole and returned to the life they previously lived, many came home with the scars of war, seen and unseen, and were never the same.
It is spoken about often but most times it’s not really appreciated. The freedoms that we in the United States enjoy today, and the freedoms that many around the world appreciate, are because of our veterans; the men and women of the United States military who left home and fought for a cause that many times they did not fully understand. Nonetheless, they did the job that was asked of them, and they did it as no one else could.
As we pause this Veterans Day, let us not forget that there are people that live for one purpose, to destroy the United States. It is the men and women of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard that stand in their way. Everyday, but today specifically, we honor them and say thank you for your service, and welcome home.
If you are a wartime veteran or served on the home front during a time of war, we want to hear about your experiences. More importantly, your family wants to hear it, especially those family members who have not yet been born. For more information on having your story preserved, contact the Voices of Freedom.
November 11, 2021
