Troopathon 2009: Beyond My Comprehension

I lost the biggest job I ever had as talk show host on KFI in Los Angeles largely because I called out another host on the station for flip flopping on the Iraq war in a move that I was sure was designed to pander to the audience who at the time had been duped by the media into thinking the effort was a failure.

While I have suffered greatly because of this stance I took, I have tried hard to not complain too much about what happened because I know to do so would be embarrassingly selfish and shortsighted. After all, the tiny risk I took and the price I paid is absolutely nothing in comparison the risk that every single member of our military takes on a regular basis and the real price that far too many are forced to pay every single day.

I am in awe at what our military has accomplished in Iraq despite having most of the public and the vast majority of the media totally abandon them. In my view, what has been accomplished there, against all odds, is perhaps the greatest achievement in the history of our military and perhaps any volunteer force in modern times.

I certainly I love my country, but what it is that inspires men and women to volunteer for military service when the benefits are so sparse and the burdens so great is beyond my comprehension. We are all incredibly lucky to live in a nation that, despite all of its faults, still have enough courageous young people to serve it in ways that allow “chicken hawks” (as the left loves to describe conservative commentators who never served in the military) to worry about things that in comparison don’t seem all that significant.

Thank you for all you do for us. I wish we appreciated you in a way that was nearly as significant as what you deserve.