A very thoughtful article. In the military we often paint our enemies in stark terms, even caricatures. The second they become human beings it gives us pause. It’s often difficult to separate citizens from their governments. What troubles me the most about the bombing today is that there seems no thought as to what’s next. Iran won’t just give up. There will be a response and once that cycle starts it’s hard to stop.
I’m a Navy veteran myself and come from that mindset. Admittedly, I joined 9/12/2001 and was full of “hoorah” and “let’s blow shit up.” Never did any of that, thank God. I worked for an admiral in Norfolk, Virginia but the mindset was the same. Having come from that mindset, I know life is a journey and we all have to arrive at this place once we grow enough to get here—however it seems some are not interested in growth. And like you said, they act on impulse without consideration of what comes next. Unless… well, I’ll save this for another post, but I have a suspicion that they may be up to something no good (staged/real assassinations, and more). I’m willing to bet reality is about to become stranger than fiction.
I was in the Air Force in the mid 1980's stationed at Langley AFB so just across the water from Norfolk. I was lucky enough to be in the "Clean, Paint, and Move" era so never saw any action or ever fired a weapon.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid you're right about the current president. There's more than a whiff of hubris in the air. Regime change is a scary concept and the US has a lousy track record. Countries will do what they will do and it has to be up to their people. If the US does force regime change, there's no guarantee that the next regime will be any friendlier toward the west. While I have nothing good to say about the country of Iran or its government, it's impossible to tell what the future will bring. My fear is that if they weren't seeking a nuclear weapon up to now, they sure will be in the future. One thing North Korea figured out is that once a country joins the nuclear weapons club, other countries are very slow to attack them. We just taught the opposite lesson to Iran.
Heard and agreed. There are lessons to be learned in this for us all. Thankful for historians like Heather Cox Richardson who focus on recording history during times like these. So much to be studied and learned once the dust settles. Problem is, we often forget the more removed we become from these lessons. Suppose times like these and those soon coming serve as reminders—lessons for generations to follow.
A very thoughtful article. In the military we often paint our enemies in stark terms, even caricatures. The second they become human beings it gives us pause. It’s often difficult to separate citizens from their governments. What troubles me the most about the bombing today is that there seems no thought as to what’s next. Iran won’t just give up. There will be a response and once that cycle starts it’s hard to stop.
I’m a Navy veteran myself and come from that mindset. Admittedly, I joined 9/12/2001 and was full of “hoorah” and “let’s blow shit up.” Never did any of that, thank God. I worked for an admiral in Norfolk, Virginia but the mindset was the same. Having come from that mindset, I know life is a journey and we all have to arrive at this place once we grow enough to get here—however it seems some are not interested in growth. And like you said, they act on impulse without consideration of what comes next. Unless… well, I’ll save this for another post, but I have a suspicion that they may be up to something no good (staged/real assassinations, and more). I’m willing to bet reality is about to become stranger than fiction.
I was in the Air Force in the mid 1980's stationed at Langley AFB so just across the water from Norfolk. I was lucky enough to be in the "Clean, Paint, and Move" era so never saw any action or ever fired a weapon.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid you're right about the current president. There's more than a whiff of hubris in the air. Regime change is a scary concept and the US has a lousy track record. Countries will do what they will do and it has to be up to their people. If the US does force regime change, there's no guarantee that the next regime will be any friendlier toward the west. While I have nothing good to say about the country of Iran or its government, it's impossible to tell what the future will bring. My fear is that if they weren't seeking a nuclear weapon up to now, they sure will be in the future. One thing North Korea figured out is that once a country joins the nuclear weapons club, other countries are very slow to attack them. We just taught the opposite lesson to Iran.
Heard and agreed. There are lessons to be learned in this for us all. Thankful for historians like Heather Cox Richardson who focus on recording history during times like these. So much to be studied and learned once the dust settles. Problem is, we often forget the more removed we become from these lessons. Suppose times like these and those soon coming serve as reminders—lessons for generations to follow.
Thank you, Michelle. Another reflection that is concise - and compassionate.
Our cultures and ideologies divide us, but our humanity should unite us.
Amen, friend. 💖🙏
Well said 🙏
💖🙏