Supporting America and the Troops

The LA Times featured a very interesting story today about an anti-war liberal who ended up joining the military and going to Iraq.

It's a little long, but definitely worth the read. I might not agree 100% with this man's motives, but a lot of liberals in Washington--and around the world--could learn a lot from this man.

After the 9/11 attacks, Daily was not convinced that a military response was the best option. In his MySpace essay, he runs through the gamut of reasons he used at one time or another to argue against confronting the Taliban and Saddam Hussein: cultural tolerance, the sanctity of national sovereignty, a suspicion of America's intentions. Weren't we really after their oil? he wondered.

Somewhere along the way, he changed his mind. His family says there was no epiphany. Writings by author and columnist Christopher Hitchens on the moral case for war deeply influenced him. A 2003 phone conversation with a UCLA ROTC officer on the ideals of commitment and service impressed him.

Unlike many liberals in Congress and around the country, he came to a point of understanding where he realized that America and her military are a force for good.

In a 2005 videotape of his officers' commissioning ceremony, Daily told the crowd that the U.S. Army is one of the few militaries in the world that teach not only tactics but also ethics. "I genuinely believe the United States Army is a force of good in this world," he said.

He was not blind to military transgressions and fumed to his father that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib was a failure of leadership. But that was exactly why he needed to get over there, he said. He was going to make sure that his men upheld Army values of integrity and honor.

Liberals who are tearing our country apart should consider this guy's journey and what he learned. Instead of undermining his country, he determined to do his part to ensure that the noble ideals of America were upheld.

The rest of us, liberal and conservative alike, should resolve to do no less.