This is written by a young soldier serving his third tour of duty in Iraq . Thought you might find his take on the Michael Jackson news interesting and he’s right. (Hat Tip: Betty Albright)
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Okay, I need to rant.
I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn’t the point of my rant.
Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood , and even Congress sees the need to hold a “moment of silence” for his passing? 
Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he’s a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America . Where is their moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying “good riddance,” and “thank God for IEDs?” When did this country become so callused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a “Pop Icon?”
I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan . They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.
Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;
“So that others may live…”
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Indeed!
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July 13th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
I am one of the Americans that greatly mourned the passing away of Michael Jackson. I would of been at his Memorial if I could of been. He supported 39 charities, went to hospitals to see sick people and brought them gifts. He was more than just an entertainer, he gave a lot of his time and money to charites.
My nephew is in Irag right now, this is his third time there also. And he is 50 years old. I honor and respect those men every single day. I pray for them every day, I send packages to them.. and no not just to my nephew, but I am involved in groups that write and send packages to soldiers they have never met, nor will they ever.
I know people who have wrote to the one soldier whose name and address is given to them, they send weekly cards and letters, packages once or twice a month.. and they never ever hear back, But they still keep on sending and giving for a year or two. With never a thanks… lets not forget those people.. and there is a lot of Americans out there doing that.
I also know my nephew is in the military because he makes a good living for his wife and kids. Free housing, free medical, and he just got a 24,000.00 dollar bonus for signing up for another 5 years.Plus he is going to be getting a good retirement in a few years.
I do appreciate our soldiers, but no one was drafted they signed up on their own.. and most of them for schooling and retirement they can get.Sorry I do really honor our soldiers and appreciate them putting their lives on hold over there.. and I know its bad. My nephew has told me how it is.
But I say, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, if you don’t like the military. than get out of it. And don’t get upset when a great entertainer who has spent his whole life in the “Spot light” and has not even had a regular childhood..don’t be upset because he has a good memorial and will be missed because of what he gave to us through his music and dance moves.And also one who is recorded as the most giving entertainer in all of History.
Be happy for him… and don’t forget the many many Americans who write letters and send packages to soldiers they have never ever met.
July 13th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
You missed the whole point.
First, Michael Jackson like all celebrities and professional athletes support charities and develop foundations. They make some appearances but have other’s running these things. It’s all like a photo-op.
Second, what did Michael Jackson ever do for his hometown of Gary, Indiana when they tried to recruit all the Jackson’s to perform in their new Genesis Center? Answer, NOTHING!!!
Third, How dare you to think many soldiers sign up for only the benefits and aren’t forced into it. You disregard the patriotism involved. You have nerve.
You mention all the “free” things your nephew receives. There is no free lunch, he serves for lower pay and these are benefits. My God your blind!
Fourth, the letter was about fans more than Michael Jackson and you missed the whole point of the letter. Your are prejudice as a celebrity groupie admitting you too would go to the Jackson memorial. Did the taxpayers of California pay for that? Answer, Yes they did.
And finally you give credit to those who write letters and send packages, which is wonderful, but once again the letter was about public outpouring and publicity not quiet and private deeds.
Don’t stick up for MJ around here and negate anything our soldiers write especially when you miss the whole point of what was written.
How pathetic, indeed!
July 14th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Now, I do not feel that either of you are blind however you are not wide eyed either. Michael Jackson was one of the celebrities that did show up to many things and ran these charities himself. He was a father a son a brother an uncle and in many peoples hearts that never even met him a friend. I agree with your second writing Liberally Conservative that it is not “free” however it is not taxed and in my opinion I would consider that free in simplistic terms. To me you work for everything in some way shape or form so free is reletive to how Delores sees it. What bothers me about the letter from a soldier about the services that were given for Jackson, is how he seems to not be getting what is done for the military in this country. I am a vet and I see the benifits that this country gives me all the time. I see the parades the holidays that are clearly maked on the calander and now that I am out of the service I enjoy those paid days off of work. Those days were instated to honor the military personel that served in many ways. I get money for all those things that Delores talks about. In these hard times the military is getting a lot of attention and the things they need. If this were writen by a family member or a friend of a military member I would not see an issue at all. However whom ever wrote this needs to take a bigger look at what is done for the military and then quit being selfish about a great man that may have had his bad sides to some having a bit of attention.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Yes, the military is getting a lot of attention these days in defunding proposals, once again, by Congress.
A hidden little truth is my son is deployed in Afghanistan and he requested several things because they are unavailable at his remote outpost.
What does his platoon need? Hygiene products and he asked for a solar shower set up. They crap in an outhouse and if the septic truck doesn’t show up they burn it. They had to build their own hut while sleeping in tents in the interim.
Do any of you “veterans” and know it all’s understand what some in the military do? Not the Air Force with their pristine facilities but the boots on the ground doing the heavy lifting?
I have that experience, my son is getting his and thousands of others who are in actual harm’s way do more than Michael Jackson, who finds sleeping with children OK, could ever have done.
It’s amazing how this soldiers post is taken out of context and how some say taxpayer dollars are paying for him but what is the price of freedom and security?
THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH for anything including freedom. Michael Jackson fawning and any negative comments trying to compare the two is a joke, but not a laughing matter.
Why don’t the celebrities who play action hero’s sign up for the real deal? People pay to see them at the show but complain about George Bush, the person who brought respect back to the military, and then vote for hope and change with that no nothing Obama.
There is a big difference from Conservative and Liberal. The Liberals are always defending spending, not the military.
Does anyone know the current Secretary of State demanded uniforms not be worn in the White House while she was First Lady?
That’s one example but I tie it all to the Liberals and people who attempt to justify military service and Michael Jackson, a real freak show, in the same context. Indeed!
P.S. I understand Los Angeles will pay $1.4 million dollars for the Michael Jackson tribute. That is taxpayers dollars. How many hygiene products for Soldiers, Sailors and Marines at FOBs would that money purchase?
Imagine how much could be supplied to the Armed Forces with the $400 million Michael Jackson debt. Nice legacy!
July 14th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Ok, well, I have to reply to this, so here it goes…
I am a military brat, born and bred. My Father, my Brother, my Uncles, and my Grandfathers on both sides were all military, Army/Navy. My father was an Army Ranger, Airborne. My uncle fought in Vietnam-twice. My Grandfather was in WWII. I am very patriotic. I can not watch the news becuase I spend the entire time crying for the soldiers, not only the ones who have fallen, but the ones who have had the traumas of watching their friends fall. The ones who fall asleep to the sounds of bombs going off in the distance and the ones wake up knowing that today might be their last. My 3 year old daughter loves the Army men and tells them thank you everytime she sees them. We are all about our soldiers.
But, I also mourned the passing of Michael Jackson, just in a very different way than I do the soldiers. I agree that the soldiers should get the public response that he got, I agree that Americans have got their priorities all wrong. I have a friend in Afghanistan right now, he’s very dear to me, I could not imagine losing him, but it’s a reality. And if I lost him, I would mourn him much more than MJ. I would be upset that everyone was mourning someone they didn’t know, who did nothing for them personally, and yet my friend was not acknowledged and he just died fighting for their freedom to mourn someone else who did nothing for them. I get where you’re coming from. American is not right, we have not been for a long time. Everything is all about comfort and luxury. People are losing that love for their fellow human. In today’s world, it’s all about yourself, if you’re a civilian.
A lot of these people do not understand what a soldier and a soldier’s family go through, and they don’t care to. They think they are supporting you if they smile in your direction and they don’t spit on you; They are deluded. But this is our world, and these soldiers are fighting for these people as well as the people who really do support them, are thankful for them and really do love them.
Unfortunately, I do not know if this will ever change. It just seems to get worse with every war. People should realize that our soldiers, police officers, and firefighters are the ones who should be held at the highest esteem. They are they ones we should be parading for, paying the big paychecks to, and going crazy over. When I see a soldier in my hometown, my eyes fill with tears, and I feel a sense of pride and patriotism, I appreciate what that uniform means. Everybody should. They don’t realize that they wouldn’t have the freedom to put them down if it weren’t for the job they do. Isn’t it ironic? I say thanks to every man and woman who are serving now and who have served in the past…Thank You for allowing me the freedom to write this response!
July 14th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
To navyeyes…Oh yes there are parades for veterans, there are American Legion Riders who attend thousands of funerals per year (and send care packages to members of their post or children of their post members), yes there is the VA (which is currently understaffed and underfunded-nearly a million claims waiting to be completed…they don’t need more claims people which Congress just funded they need people who give the benefit of the doubt to the vet as stated in Title 38) and let’s not forget the 21st Century GI Bill which is so full of legalese that a veteran in Massachusetts gets $2200 and a vet in Texas gets $20,000 per year thanks to out of control Congress)…all the wonderful things that are done for veterans.
Come to Kansas, our out of control City Government in Wichita wants to put a monument to the South Vietnamese who did not serve in the US Military in our veterans park…which at one time was a mess as the monuments had been desecrated…and the city wants to desecrate it once more…
Where is all the outrage over all the female veterans who were victims of military sexual trauma? Not one major liberal women’s group have spoken out to support their fight to get justice for the wrongs dome against them…
Nothing is free….some veterans like me end up 100% disabled and unemployable…we are forgotten. I can’t remember the last time someone said thank you for your service… or even the last time someone came to visit me except for my family.
I was in a parade last week very few people waved or clapped as the American Legion Riders rode by on their bikes in 100 degree weather. So maybe the people in this country aren’t so supportive of veterans.
As for Michael Jackson….I used to dance to his music as a girl….that is what I remembered….but I got nauseated at the level of media coverage of his death. You know what I think of Jackson when I think of him that he was a very disturbed man who never went into therapy to fix his obvious esteem problems…he was friendless despite all the claims likewise. If he had true friends someone would have done some intervention which is what he truly needed. What he didn’t need were co-dependents that allowed to him to charge up a $100,000 prescription drug bill.
The Jackson coverage was disgusting and made me want to puke every day.
However when I greet a military member as I did on my travels last year I shake their hands and say thank you for serving. I love taking the time to listen to tales from WWII vets who are now dying at an alarming rate.
This week an MIA soldier comes home from the Vietnam War 40 years later to be interred in Kansas City, Kansas. He will finally be reunited with his family….his name is John Q. Adam just in case you want to know. He was an E-3 in the USAF.
Where is the media coverage for that?
You people are fools and remind me of the ancients who prayed to false Gods and fell to false idols. Yes Jackson is a false idol in my book.
The veterans and active duty military aren’t false prophets or false Gods but they deserve our respect because they joined the military and have gone to fight a war to defend our country and Our Constitution. They have gone to fight a war to improve our National Security.
Can either of you two tell me when Jackson did anything for the military? Did he visit Iraq? Did he do free concerts for the people in uniform?
I just know that media does not cover veterans issues nor do they cover issues for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan….yet they fawned over a false idol….
This navyvet remains disgusted by the Jackson coverage.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
We need not be a country of either/or. We have room enough to recognize all who contribute.
I was not particularly a Michael Jackson fan– I would say I was indifferent. As I watched a retrospective, though, I must admit that he had a gift. His voice, his talent for composition, his efforts to bring people together will have their place in history.
I do not come from a family with a long history of military service. My brother served during Viet Nam. He did his duty, and he got out, but as he visited Normandy, when he and I walked the grounds at Gettysburg, tears were shed. I don’t know that either of us could put words to our tears, and they often became gut-wrenching sobs.
I watched nightly as news reports ran photos of our men and women in military who made the ultimate sacrifice. When our big three networks stopped the tribute, I turned to PBS to watched in deafening silence as the faces of boys and girls, the ages of my children, faded across the screen.
Now that we once again can see our fallen soldiers, sailors, and marines on the evening news returning in their flag draped coffins to Delaware, I stop, I watch. I think about the wonderful gift I have been given to stand and watch from the comfort of my home while I prepare a meal of good, readily available food with running water and constant electricity. I silently thank their families for letting me share these very personal moments.
The question is not who do we honor, but what do we do to honor more? What do we do to make sure that those who are fighting abroad have the basic necessities they need to live and do the jobs. How can we assure that the have the best body armor? Who do we tell to be sure that their families don’t need food stamps? And for those who have returned not quite whole, how do we act on their behalf?
We must honor those who have died in far off lands. We can do this with love and conviction even as we say goodb-bye to the Michael Jacksons, Ed McMahons, Farrah Fawcetts, Karl Maldens, and Billy Mays who light the fires of our television hearth.
More importantly, what will we do for those still alive and fighting, for those they have left behind, and or those who have returned, some whole and some not? These are the questions we must ponder and on which we must act. Only then will we have served the ones we have lost with honor and dignity.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I believe it is okay to recognize these entertainers enough to say they died with a short retrospective but not daily Jackson briefings. It still makes me want to puke my guts up.
And yet there is still very little recognition from the general public for veterans and those serving today. And that is true especially from the liberal left.
They have no respect for the men and women who serve now or served in the past. They don’t recognize the fact we have kept this country safe thereby rewarding them with freedoms not seen in other countries.
They only care about their false idols like Jackson.
July 17th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
i am sorry navyvet48 but it is the liberals who are the most thankful for your service. w/o the service of our men and women we wouldn’t be able to express our concerns. it is the conservatives who are using you. they are making decisions daily that don’t support the our soldiers, airmen, sailors or marines and this includes their families(ie va funding, illegal wars for profit & it goes on and on). The news organizations are failing ALL of us because they don’t do any investigation. They just jump from one sensational news story to the next. i thank my husband everyday for his service, along w/ several of my cousins, inlaws etc…… I am sorry that MJ died but i more upset that our country is being ripped apart because we all refuse to realize that it takes all of us to make this country successful not just liberals and not just conservatives…..go navy!!
July 17th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
NavyWife is so in the dark, so intellectually deficient and so pathetically wrong.
The country is now under one-party rule and there is no debate.
How do you reconcile that fact NavyWife? You can’t!
How come Hillary Clinton demanded no uniforms in the White House when she was First Lady? One example but very telling, indeed!
August 12th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I see where both sides are comming from,everytime they tell on the news of a soldier dying I bow my head and say a prayer for the fallen soldier and give thanks to him/her.I do the same for the entertainers of the world. To me a life is a life and we are all just as important as the other person. I agree with both sides about the memorial, what the soldier wrote is very true and yes it would be wonderful if they would hold a memorial for every fallen soldier. My heart goes out to all the families who has lost a love one. God bless everyone!
August 12th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
How Lois could compare an entertainer to a fallen soldier is beyond any belief system I live with.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
As a soldier I’ve always been astounded when someone makes a comment such as this:
“I do appreciate our soldiers, but no one was drafted they signed up on their own…”
And if we did not then who would I ask? It’s sounds to me like a lack of appreciation if you can’t understand that the volunteering itself was a sacrifice. I didn’t volunteer because I had no where else to go. I volunteered because in my heart the good people of this nation are worth dying for. I’ve begun to think that I might have been wrong.
As far as benefits, if you don’t retire (nothing wrong with that though I didn’t) and you’re not a disabled vet (you’ve more than payed for your benefits if you get them) you don’t get much more than a VA loan and veteran preference from an employer that cares about such things. If you compare the work you do to the pay you get plus the college assistance you can qualify for you more than earn it. Of course the college assistance you get requires you actually go to college, like a bonus with strings attached. Did I mention that you’re on call 24/7 with no on call pay. Now how many civilians would want that compensation package? Not many and that’s why it requires volunteers that put thier country and fellow countrymen before themselves.
It is not an easy thing to volunteer. To those who crossed the line drawn in the sand so that they too might
be counted among men and women to worthy of the praise and love I salute you.
And so I leave you with a bit of Shakespeare and a quotes from Marcus Aurelius (the quotes original source)
St. Crispen’s Day Speech
William Shakespeare, 1599
Enter the KING
WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!
KING. What’s he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark’d to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
Marcus Aurelius ( 121 AD ~180 AD )
Roman Emperor
What we do in life echoes in eternity.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Oh, by the way I don’t think Michael Jackson got drafted to being a singer. As for giving, the more you have the more you can give. I know if I had made millions as a soldier I would have been more than happy to visit children in hospitals and donate money to charity.
I’m not angry about any of it I’m just amazed that anyone would compare Michael Jackson to a soldier who breaks his/her hump to do work that is necessary but mostly unappreciated.
Anyone but me ever notice that Memorial Day (Remembering the War Dead) and Labor Day (Celebrate the US Work Force) are both observed nationwide but Veteran’s Day (Thanks to the Veterans – Retired and Non-Retired – who served) is not. Very few civilian employers close down for it. You can still get some good buys at Home Depot though.
August 14th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Tim:
Thank you for your service and wonderful contribution to this post. I hope you return and comment often.
OOOOOHHHHHAAAAA! Indeed!
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:55 am
OK,you’re not gonna like this but I have to say it anyway. Michael didn’t choose to be an entertainer. It was driven into him by his father and a harsh, strict upbringing. He would have preferred to have had a childhood like I imagine most of the posters here had. But alas, that didn’t happen. However, instead of using his fame to procure sex and drugs and for his ego and self promotion, he used every opportunity possible to help, support and care for those less fortunate. Not many who go through life, whether celebrity or otherwise, can say that they have helped and supported so many people.
Unlike Michael, a soldier is an adult and chooses to fight. Some might think that admirable. Fair enough. I choose to believe that war is pointless, destructive and never an answer. When a soldier chooses to go to war, he knows the perils involved. He knows that he might never come back alive. He chooses to go out there and to kill the opposition. Michael chose to love. That was his only weapon, and what a weapon love is. It can heal and transform lives. And maybe, just maybe, this is why you saw the whole world mourning, because that man had indeed transformed so many lives…with love, not war. LOVE is always the answer.
Don’t get me wrong, I too detest the celebrity culture we in the Western world seem to have embraced, whereby people feed on anything and everything a celebrity (some with no talent other than their breast size or having appeared on a reality show) does or says. Michael was not just a celebrity though. He came for a purpose, he fulfilled that purpose, and I have no doubt that he is now in a better place, free from the trials and tribulations that people in this life put him through.