Why...?

I have been asked the question of why I am willing to serve, why I am choosing to leave my family and friends, why are we (as a nation) still at war and so on quite often since coming on orders on the 10th of May. There are several reasons, but at the same time, there are no reasons.

First, let me try to address the reason why I am willing to serve in the military. To do that, there has to be a disclaimer placed in front of any statement I am going to make. The military is just like any other organization in so much as there is always a lot of BS you must deal with and have to overcome. That being said, part of the reason that I am willing to serve in the military is that I truly love my country and want to defend it. This might seem like a grandiose idea and one that is a little romantazied (not sure if I spelled that right, but whatever). My father, his younger sister and parents came to this country in 1953 with absolutely everything they owned either on their backs or in their hands. They didn't know the language of the country they were going to, but it was damn sure a great deal better than from where they were coming from. Because of how our country is set up and the founding principles, my grandfather (Opi) and grandmother (Omi) were able to build a life from scratch and have three children (my uncle was born here in the States) go to school and acquire things my Omi and Opi only dreamed about. No where else in the world would they have been able to accomplish what they did during that time. So part of why I serve is because I feel like I still owe the founding ideas, traditions and thoughts a great deal to protect them.

The second part, why am I choosing to leave my family and friends is very difficult for me to answer. Believe me when I tell you, in my heart of hearts, I would like nothing better in my life than to be the husband and father that Emily and Asher deserve and be able to see them every day and be with them every night. Part of the reason I am not there goes back to the above paragraph, but at the same time, I feel like God put me on this earth to carry the fight of those that can not fight for themselves to enemy. Now, the counter arguement can be made, "well, isn't that what you do on the police department?" To that I say yes and no. Yes, we as police officers put ourselves last and our communities first, however the fight is not always in our hometowns (thank God, because if it was, things would be a lot different). I fight because at one time, men better than I stood up and said "enough is enough, the enemy has to be vanquished" and left their homes and safe places and met the enemy head to head and beat them. So, why would I choose to leave my family and friends and go to war and fight? I have been blessed with talents that make me an asset in the fight and have embraced what I believe God is calling me to be...a warrior and protector of not just my family and friends, but those that are unwilling or unable to do the same thing...my time away from my family is the hardest thing I will ever endure, but I will endure.

Thirdly, why are we still at war? We are still at war because we (the US military) has always been the one fighting force that has always been held to the highest standards in terms of fighting the fight. If we fought the fight like the enemy did, the war would have been long over and I guarantee we would never be attacked again because of the level of devasation that we would / could bring down on the other side. We don't fight that way. The autrocities that were leveled at the soldiers, marines, airmen and sailors of the Vietnam War were for the most part, not entirely, fabricated. We always say (like I said earlier) that we are fighting for those that can't or won't...that means we have to hold ourselves to the highest standards of conduct at all times...and as we have seen, those who act outside of those regulations are punished. So, we are still at war because we are fighting the good fight in the good way...even though war is ugly, nasty and stays with you forever.

Many of you who read this blog may not understand why it is that I do what I do, but please, accept me for what I am - a man trying to do what I feel best protects my family, friends and our way of life. What I am is a husband, father, son, cousin and friend...what I do is protect me and mine against anyone or anything that would threaten it the best way I know how. I love my wife and son with all my heart and I will fight for them forever.
-Jake