Milbloggin’
crossposted at:
Conservative Thoughts
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Military matters or war are topics I do not write about very much or not to any significant depth. Primarily because there are so many more qualified to speak to these subjects and my viewpoint is strictly that of a civilian. Not that civilians are incapable of offering valid opinions on these topics. But the problem is in the last decade and perhaps longer the civilian voice has in many ways dominated the discussion. I typically limit blog posts to criticizing civilian leadership for interfering unnecessarily in the military’s ability to execute missions initiated by that same civilian authority.
The exercise of freedom of speech by members of the American public at large to criticize the military during war also gets my goat. It causes me to utter a pet phrase of mine in terms of the use of such freedom. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Knowing when and how to exercise our freedom is an awesome responsibility few recognize. Understanding the value of restraint requires the discipline to know when to speak and when it is more important to remain silent. We all should have learned by now that limiting or being discrete expressing one’s objection related in any way to the prosecution of a war is necessary to avoid aiding and encouraging the enemy. Especially when it comes to the absurd notion that the end of a war can be predetermined and publicly announced without causing harm or being the self-fulfilling prophecy of defeat or surrender.
To those who milblog I offer my sincere appreciation. Not only do they provide a real life, real time glimpse into their lives but additionally they show their dedication, commitment, strength and courage to not only serve their country but address the world and echo these qualities. All done in the face of some public opposition or in spite of it. Their character and impressive attention to duty is remarkable. We are all able to enjoy the freedom we often take for granted because of them. And they still take the time to inform the public, help each other out and offer whatever they can in further service to country.
Most of the time I have engaged the milblogosphere from links provided by others. I forget that there may be others out there who have not spent time getting to know these special bloggers. So I offer one link that is quite useful in surfing this specialty and suggest you give it a try. I have found many reasons to return each time I visit. From one civilian who immensely respects the value of the military and the people who serve, this concludes my limited view on the military and war without the usual criticism of civilian leadership. The link is Milblogging.com.
Stanford Matthews
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