The Right to Choose

In the vernacular of American dogma, freedom is a central aspect to the terminology which serves to create and uphold social value and provide meaning to our lifestyles. We invoke the our constitutional right to freedom for almost every challenge, and boast on how our society is unique in that it provides us with the chance to live and be "free." When the buffoonery of our leadership is questioned, or the over-indulgence of our culture is criticized or warned against, we simply resort to our favorite catchphrase: love it or leave it.

But for many the choice really is not so easy. The freedom to "just say no" has been revoked from many in our country, and the choices that decide the fate and well-being of their lives are often made difficult or almost impossible, depending on the type of contract that they sign.

I am talking about the United States Military, and the soldiers who somehow lack the fundamental right to just say "sir, no, sir." I'm talking about the fact that 43,000 of the troops currently deployed abroad are deemed medically unfit to serve, but are deployed regardless. 17% of troops currently in Afghanistan fall under this distinction. I'm talking about the 260,000 homeless veterans, 6,000 of whom are female; about the countless cases of PTSD; about those who are silenced, coerced, and forced back into service despite the completion of their term; about Robert Murchison, a soldier at Fort Carson who shot himself in the leg to avoid re-deployment; about the mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and children who find their loved ones permanently changed upon their return from war; about the 30,000 more souls that President Obama is pondering sending into war, beginning next March. I'm talking about the average of 10 suicides per month at the Texas military base of Fort Hood, Texas, prior to this past July. And I am also of course talking about the highly-publicized tragedy that took place there last week.

These are men and women who are far braver than I am, to risk their lives in the name of that same freedom in which we love to bask. Yet they are given little or no options once they have served their duty, and are faced with intense pressure as soon as they begin to show a reluctance to fight. The fact is that war is an atrocious situation, and if a person is brave enough to do it once in your name, than they should have the freedom of choice as to whether or not they'd like to return. But still they are sent into life-threatening, sanity-threatening situations, where they occupy a land on which they are not welcome. This is a kind of imposition that is downright disrespectful to all involved, and as was shown by the behavior of Major Hasan at Fort Hood last week, can be extremely dangerous.

In Kurt Vonnegut's famous novel, Player Piano, the character of a foreign Shah visiting the United States is revisited throughout the story, and is positively baffled by the operations of this country's soldiers. He mistakenly refers to them as siki, or slaves, and is confused when he is corrected because of their intensley imposed submission. This puzzlement is not far-off from my own. Why must this continue? I am thoroughly confused. For all of the money we spend on defense, can't they increase care and counseling and treatment through the armed forces? Or must soldiers continue to seek solace elsewhere?

There has been a proliferation of coffee houses such as the 'Under the Hood Cafe,' located directly across from Fort Hood in Texas, which seek to serve as shock absorbers: places for the troops to seeks counseling, legal advice, and support. As the war against the war movement intensifies within the armed forces, more resources are needed to maintain the health and well-being of our returning soldiers, in order to maintain a cohesive and sane environment for our military. They have given so much in the name of our freedom, and deserve to be fully taken care of when they return. They also deserve the right to choose their own fate, and if need be, to be able to freely say "sir, no sir!" without reproach.

Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served and are currently serving our country.