EDITOR: I am the average 20-year-old Morgan Hill resident. I
went to Paradise Elementary, Martin Murphy Middle and graduated
from Live Oak High.
EDITOR:
I am the average 20-year-old Morgan Hill resident. I went to Paradise Elementary, Martin Murphy Middle and graduated from Live Oak High. While at Live Oak I was in the marching band and also worked a side job at a ranch in San Martin teaching children how to ride horses. The only thing different about me is I don’t live there anymore, I am now stationed in South Korea with the U.S. Army.
I knew during high school that I did not want to do the normal thing and go off to college. First off I wasn’t ready for it, second I wanted to serve the best country in the world, the country we live in. I went to basic training a couple of months after high school then was deployed to South Korea, approximately 15 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone and am now doing my second year over here.
After not being home for over a year I took leave July 1. I decided to march in the July 4 parade with the Emerald Regime alumni. I thought it would be a nice way to be involved in the great holiday. The disgrace I saw while marching made me sick to my stomach. Someone had the nerve to put up a sign in there front yard that had a picture of our Commander in Chief George W. Bush with the word liar underneath. Now that wasn’t bad enough, they also had the nerve to hang a flag that instead of stars had a peace symbol. I’m sure some people got a kick out of it. However July 4 is not the day for peoples political issues. And being a service member I was hurt by the amount of disrespect these people showed for our great nation.
I remember 9/11 and how it took that tradegy for civilians to appreciate the Armed Services. I’d never seen that many American flags posted on every window and every car antenna. Now, only a couple of years later some people feel it is OK to disrespect that same flag. I guess people just follow the trend, if it is “cool” to be patriotic they will be, but if being anti-government and anti-military is the in thing they will follow that as well.
My ex-girlfriend Crystal wanted to go see the Fahrenheit 9/11 movie. I could honestly care less about more political garbage but she being a political science major wanted to check it out. Even buying tickets for the movie made me realize how unwelcome the military was in their own hometown. Crystal was able to get a discounted student ticket, but upon asking about a military discount I was told “No.” Now I think it’s wrong that kids in junior high and high school who have to go to school, they have no choice it’s the law, get a discount for following the law, but people who make the choice to put their lives on the line for the country have to pay full price.
Even after giving the cashier my little spew about all that I was still forced to pay $9.25 for a movie thats basically anti-government and anti-Bush, whom I am proud to have as our leader. I thought the movie was horrible. Two things really affected me; showing soldiers being blown up. I’m sorry how is this entertainment? If you think it is maybe you should join a service so you can find out what it is like to see your buddy have his leg blown off right in front of you.
And two, they followed a mom around who was proud of her son being in the military, then her son dies in Iraq. Again this is not entertaining to see a woman cry for her son who has died. Thats not entertaining. All I could think about was my mom. What if she gets the call that I died? Are people going to pay her $9.25 just to see her cry? Apparently, because that is what people are still paying money to see.
Oh, and another thing they showed in that movie was recruiters targeting lower income neighborhoods. Yes, there are people in the military who had no other choice. But joining has helped them become great leaders and very responsible people. There are also people who could have gone to college but made the decision to guarantee that right of freedom of speech everyone likes to use so much.
I showed that movie to a Korean soldier here and he could not believe it. Anywhere else besides United States you would not get away with badmouthing the government like that but because of our great country you can do it. So maybe this country and its leadership isn’t so bad after all. Ponder that.
In conclusion my trip home just made me feel like I was unwelcome and unwanted. I always thought I made a great decision, I am proud to say I’m in the military whether some in my hometown support me or not.
Bryan Scopazzi,
Morgan Hill
