Targeting Youth
How dare they! Yes, they have a right to their opinion, but they don't have a right to stand outside a high school with such impressionable kids and pass out anti-war and anti-military propoganda.
Some people from the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice (AKA: Anti-war protestors) went down to Point Loma high school (San Diego) this morning to pass out anti-war, anti-military, and basically anti-American flyers with the message of: this war is wrong, our President lied, and don’t join the service, they lie too.
Getting word of this far in advance I talked to my fellow Protest Warrior’s and we decided to counter their propaganda. We went there (Scott and I) at 7 in the morning to pass out yellow bracelets that say, "Support Our Troops" and a flyer that Scott made personally about his military service. This is what it said:
Photo courtesy of The Indepundit
The photo above was taken in Umm Qasr, Iraq in June 2003. That's me on the left. I'm a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I spent most of 2003 in Kuwait and Iraq. I'm not a baby killer; I didn't destroy any mosques; I never abused or tortured anyone; and although I was never far from my weapon, I never had occasion to use it.
I didn't join the military because I was poor, or because I wanted to kill people and break things. And I wasn't a pawn in someone else's game. I support our mission in Iraq.
I volunteered to serve because I appreciate the rights that we all enjoy as Americans, and I realize that someone has to be prepared to defend those freedoms.
I find it ironic that some choose to exercise those same freedoms by denigrating the efforts of those who risk their lives to defend them. But I respect their right to do so.
I'm not a politician. I'm not going to ask you to support a particular cause or party. It's up to you to figure out where you stand.
I'm not a recruiter. I'm not here today to ask you to join the military; that is a very serious life decision that you will have to make on your own. It's not for everyone.
All I ask for is respect – for my fellow veterans, for our volunteer military, and for their families. They deserve your support.
Thank you.
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
- Father Dennis Edward O'Brian, USMC
www.SDPW.org
His message was not saying join the military, nor to think our way, but he wanted for the kids to think for themselves and realize the sacrifices that our Soldiers give each day for our Freedom's, and to be thankful. I was surprised with the reception we got from the students; one girl came up to us and thanked us for doing what we were, she said, "We need you guys out here more." She was getting tired of the anti-war people handing out their propaganda pamphlets at her school, and so were we. She got into a conversation with Scott saying how a friend of hers was killed in Iraq and yet she understood the sacrifice and the good that they are doing. I feel for that girl’s lost, but I am also proud of her for having the courage and intelligence to understand that that's what a soldier does, he or she fights for their country, and even dies for it. She got it, but not the ant-war people.
Finally an anti-war person got intrigued and asked what we were passing out, I said, "Support our troops bracelets". She didn’t get it, she just said, "I support the troops too, that’s why I want them to come home". I didn’t respond, I just nodded and smiled, that's all you can do with these people. I didn't want to get into a debate with her, especially near a school. But they thought we were there on their side, it wasn't until several minutes later that they asked for the flyer we were handing out. We graciously and happily gave them one, wanting to see the look on their face. That's what made the day, watching their happy "I’m doing my anti-war duty" smile to a disgusted, "oh no, they’re here" frown. Though they didn't say a word to us, we knew what they were thinking. Scott and I looked at each other with a look of triumph, we knew we were getting to them, and they knew we were getting to the students. It was Awesome!
All in all, it went great. Except for getting yelled at by the janitor for being two feet on school property, and him complaining that he's the one who has to clean up the trash when the kids throw them on the ground, nothing bad happened. In fact you could say it was Protest Warrior: 1, anti-war peeps: 0. I left feeling like I actually made a difference; I helped change the thinking of this flawed society by sending out a message to the youth. A message that is different from what is told to them on TV, and by the anti-war groups. Wherever liars may be, Protest Warrior will be there too to tell the true!
Some people from the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice (AKA: Anti-war protestors) went down to Point Loma high school (San Diego) this morning to pass out anti-war, anti-military, and basically anti-American flyers with the message of: this war is wrong, our President lied, and don’t join the service, they lie too.
Getting word of this far in advance I talked to my fellow Protest Warrior’s and we decided to counter their propaganda. We went there (Scott and I) at 7 in the morning to pass out yellow bracelets that say, "Support Our Troops" and a flyer that Scott made personally about his military service. This is what it said:
Photo courtesy of The Indepundit
The photo above was taken in Umm Qasr, Iraq in June 2003. That's me on the left. I'm a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I spent most of 2003 in Kuwait and Iraq. I'm not a baby killer; I didn't destroy any mosques; I never abused or tortured anyone; and although I was never far from my weapon, I never had occasion to use it.
I didn't join the military because I was poor, or because I wanted to kill people and break things. And I wasn't a pawn in someone else's game. I support our mission in Iraq.
I volunteered to serve because I appreciate the rights that we all enjoy as Americans, and I realize that someone has to be prepared to defend those freedoms.
I find it ironic that some choose to exercise those same freedoms by denigrating the efforts of those who risk their lives to defend them. But I respect their right to do so.
I'm not a politician. I'm not going to ask you to support a particular cause or party. It's up to you to figure out where you stand.
I'm not a recruiter. I'm not here today to ask you to join the military; that is a very serious life decision that you will have to make on your own. It's not for everyone.
All I ask for is respect – for my fellow veterans, for our volunteer military, and for their families. They deserve your support.
Thank you.
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
- Father Dennis Edward O'Brian, USMC
www.SDPW.org
His message was not saying join the military, nor to think our way, but he wanted for the kids to think for themselves and realize the sacrifices that our Soldiers give each day for our Freedom's, and to be thankful. I was surprised with the reception we got from the students; one girl came up to us and thanked us for doing what we were, she said, "We need you guys out here more." She was getting tired of the anti-war people handing out their propaganda pamphlets at her school, and so were we. She got into a conversation with Scott saying how a friend of hers was killed in Iraq and yet she understood the sacrifice and the good that they are doing. I feel for that girl’s lost, but I am also proud of her for having the courage and intelligence to understand that that's what a soldier does, he or she fights for their country, and even dies for it. She got it, but not the ant-war people.
Finally an anti-war person got intrigued and asked what we were passing out, I said, "Support our troops bracelets". She didn’t get it, she just said, "I support the troops too, that’s why I want them to come home". I didn’t respond, I just nodded and smiled, that's all you can do with these people. I didn't want to get into a debate with her, especially near a school. But they thought we were there on their side, it wasn't until several minutes later that they asked for the flyer we were handing out. We graciously and happily gave them one, wanting to see the look on their face. That's what made the day, watching their happy "I’m doing my anti-war duty" smile to a disgusted, "oh no, they’re here" frown. Though they didn't say a word to us, we knew what they were thinking. Scott and I looked at each other with a look of triumph, we knew we were getting to them, and they knew we were getting to the students. It was Awesome!
All in all, it went great. Except for getting yelled at by the janitor for being two feet on school property, and him complaining that he's the one who has to clean up the trash when the kids throw them on the ground, nothing bad happened. In fact you could say it was Protest Warrior: 1, anti-war peeps: 0. I left feeling like I actually made a difference; I helped change the thinking of this flawed society by sending out a message to the youth. A message that is different from what is told to them on TV, and by the anti-war groups. Wherever liars may be, Protest Warrior will be there too to tell the true!
posted by Dan at
9:15 AM
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