speech

Wars occur because there is evil in the world. And we, with our fallibility and finite wisdom, choose war when we see it as the last or the best option when an aggressor sets the price for their version of peace or the price for their evil-ridden goals too high.

We then, inevitably, find ourselves grappling with the deaths of those who commit themselves to standing between the barbarians and ourselves. But we also, as General George Patton pointed out, "Thank God that such men lived."

America is hated by many people, societies, and countries. I watched a documentary one afternoon that was about the ideologies against America in a group of Middle Eastern communities. In some societies, children as early as the age of 6 are presented with guns and taught not math and science, but the simple idea that their life goal is to destroy America. Soldiers know what they are sacrificing when they enlist in the Armed Forces. Those who regret what they have done in the proud name of America should never have served in the first place. War is not a time for the weak hearted. It is only a time for the strongest, the bravest, and the selfless.

I am not "pro-war" nor am I "anti-war," both titles of which are full of ignorant implications. I believe war can be necessary; actually I believe that anything is necessary when it comes to defending the United States of America, her citizens, and what she stands for all over the world. I believe that it is necessary for us to defend ourselves at all costs. We don't go around looking for trouble, who's the most vulnerable, who might be fun to bully. We act back. If something is done to us, we make it known that we aren't going to let it slide…well that's what it used to be. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather prefer that no wars be going on at all. I do believe, however, that as long as evil is out there that is sworn to destroying our country, there must be a certain level of sacrifice needed to prevent evil’s goal from being reached.

America is one of the youngest countries on earth. Yet, it is in many ways, the most powerful and influential. We are the economic, the political, and the industrial powerhouse of the world, just to name some examples. We have won almost every single war that we have been a part of, including before we were even a country, fighting against the most powerful military of the time in Great Britain. Today we are too worried about how others feel and how people view us. Things "aren't fair" and we are "too mean." Suck it up. With ideologies like that, all that powerhouse stuff will go down the drain. America must strive to do the best in everything. We don’t manufacture things anymore. The Chinese do. We don’t need the Chinese to create our things. People nowadays feel sorry because America is so great. It's not fair to other countries that don't have what we have. I agree, but life isn't fair. It doesn't mean we have to dumb down our society, bring down our standards, and bring down our production levels. We have been given so much that it is all taken for granted. What we don't realize is that it can all be taken away if we do not continue to strive to being the best in everything we do, including defending ourselves against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

My father served 39 years and 7 months in the military. In Hawaii, he served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Pacific Command. This means that he was third in command of the largest military command in the entire world (ranging from China to Nevada. When living in Hawaii, I was surrounded by the military. The military is one of the things that makes Hawaii such a great place. The feeling of patriotism that is everywhere you go is powerful. Living in a military family, surrounded by other military families, being friends with other military family children, and my overall experiences throughout the world have shaped my beliefs and myself. I am fortunate to have had these experiences, many of which no one that I know who live here has never and may never have. Because of my father's position, I experienced things that even people there would not experience, thus allowing me more to base my beliefs off of. I believe that if everyone here experienced what my family did, their view on war; their view on our country and what it stands for; and their view on the proud, brave, and selfless men and women who serve us would change drastically. Looking back on everything that our family has been through, everything that my father has sacrificed, and the fact that he has no regrets about spending most of his life committed to this nation, I have gained tremendous respect for him and member of the military in general.

I personally and respectfully believe that those who have not experienced the life of our military servicemen and women or have had anyone close to them in the military will never truly understand what and how much they sacrifice for us. People who worry about what other countries think of us, whether they like us or not, are wasting their time and energy. Some people will hate America for simply what it stands for. It is like that student who tries to please everyone they hang out with...It just won't happen. That worry should be at the very bottom of the list, maybe even non-existent. They will never understand the true reason why we get up every morning in a free nation; the greatest country on earth, the land of the free and the home of the brave. It all can be taken away so easily, and should never be taken for granted or disrespected. It is important that we keep responding to those who harm us in hope of destroying what the United States of America stands for… what WE stand for.