Why he joined

[rrpjr]

I’d rather not say I found this letter extraordinary, as I know there are many others fighting who came to their decision through equal thoughtfulness and moral bravery. But I did find it extrordinary.

Army 2nd Lt. Mark Daily
Irvine, California:

Why I Joined:

I joined the fight because it occurred to me that many modern day "humanists" who claim to possess a genuine concern for human beings throughout the world are in fact quite content to allow their fellow "global citizens" to suffer under the most hideous state apparatuses and conditions. Their excuses used to be my excuses. When asked why we shouldn't confront the Ba'ath party, the Taliban or the various other tyrannies throughout this world, my answers would allude to vague notions of cultural tolerance (forcing women to wear a veil and stay indoors is such a quaint cultural tradition), the sanctity of national sovereignty (how eager we internationalists are to throw up borders to defend dictatorships!) or even a creeping suspicion of America's intentions. When all else failed, I would retreat to my fragile moral ecosystem that years of living in peace and liberty had provided me. I would write off war because civilian casualties were guaranteed, or temporary alliances with illiberal forces would be made, or tank fuel was toxic for the environment...

Others would point to America's historical support of Saddam Hussein, sighting it as hypocritical that we would now vilify him as a thug and a tyrant. Upon explaining that we did so to ward off the fiercely Islamist Iran, which was correctly identified as the greater threat at the time, eyes are rolled and hypocrisy is declared. Forgetting that America sided with Stalin to defeat Hitler, who was promptly confronted once the Nazis were destroyed, America's initial engagement with Saddam and other regional actors is identified as the ultimate argument against America's moral crusade.

And maybe it is. Maybe the reality of politics makes all political action inherently crude and immoral. Or maybe it is these adventures in philosophical masturbation that prevent people from ever taking any kind of effective action against men like Saddam Hussein. One thing is for certain, as disagreeable or as confusing as my decision to enter the fray may be, consider what peace vigils against genocide have accomplished lately. Consider that there are 19 year old soldiers from the Midwest who have never touched a college campus or a protest who have done more to uphold the universal legitimacy of representative government and individual rights by placing themselves between Iraqi voting lines and homicidal religious fanatics. Often times it is less about how clean your actions are and more about how pure your intentions are.

So that is why I joined. In the time it took for you to read this explanation, innocent people your age have suffered under the crushing misery of tyranny. Every tool of philosophical advancement and communication that we use to develop our opinions about this war are denied to countless human beings on this planet, many of whom live under the regimes that have, in my opinion, been legitimately targeted for destruction. Some have allowed their resentment of the President to stir silent applause for setbacks in Iraq. Others have ironically decried the war because it has tied up our forces and prevented them from confronting criminal regimes in Sudan, Uganda, and elsewhere.

I simply decided that the time for candid discussions of the oppressed was over, and I joined.

In digesting this posting, please remember that America's commitment to overthrow Saddam Hussein and his sons existed before the current administration and would exist into our future children's lives had we not acted. Please remember that the problems that plague Iraq today were set in motion centuries ago and were up until now held back by the most cruel of cages. Don't forget that human beings have a responsibility to one another and that Americans will always have a responsibility to the oppressed. Don't overlook the obvious reasons to disagree with the war but don't cheapen the moral aspects either. Assisting a formerly oppressed population in converting their torn society into a plural, democratic one is dangerous and difficult business, especially when being attacked and sabotaged from literally every direction. So if you have anything to say to me at the end of this reading, let it at least include "Good Luck"
Mark Daily


Lt. Daily was killed in action this week in Mosul.

[rcecale]

Semper fi, Lt. Daily...a true Sheepdog.

God bless you, sir!

Thanks for this post, rrpjr!

Randy

[on2wheels52]

My kid arrived Fort Sill, OK 1/16. Not totally sure why but a decision he made on his own. I said 'don't volunteer for anything'.
Jim

[rcecale]

Jim,

Your son's service is greatly appreciated by many. Good luck and godspeed to him.

Semper fi!

Randy

[Joeaksa]

RIP Lt. Daily

Its men like this that made our country what it is today.

[fastpat]

Edited - inappropriate post removed. -Z-man.

[MBAtarga]

I've reported the last post to the moderator.

[Dottore]

I don't know you guys.

If the post is genuine, then Mr. Daily sounds like a high-minded young man whose heart is in the right place.

Sadly, that doesn't make his joining any less misguided and pointless, and his death any more meaningful.

You can dress this up in patriotism and sentimentality, but flags are even cheaper than coffins.

It is a $hite war that you have no business being in - and the fact that this poor schmuck joined in for the wrong reasons doesn't alter that fact one whit.

And the tragedy here will undoubtedly be compounded when some other confused teenager reads a sentimental piece like this and finds in it some deeply flawed reason to enlist.

[on-ramp]

what is tragic here is that these men and women are dying everyday because of Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq....their sacrifice is wrongfully justified as "fighting the war on terror" or "protecting our way of life here" . this is Horseschit.

invading Iraq was never to protect the American people from an "imminent and grave threat". it goes deeper than that. the whole thing was made up. you can certainly accomplish a lot if you get enough people scared. the aftermath of 9/11 provided a perfect opportunity.

[Dottore]

Double posted in error.

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by MBAtarga
I've reported the last post to the moderator.

He just does not learn does he?

[Joeaksa]

Interesting, Slopat posted a response to this thread then deleted it. What was it again???

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Interesting, Slopat posted a response to this thread then deleted it. What was it again???

I deleted it when I realized it sounded too much like something you or fintstone would write.

I don't want any confusion.

[Z-man]

Originally posted by fastpat
I deletred it when I realized it sounded too much like something you or fintstone would write.

I don't want any confusion.

Um, no. I deleted it after it was reported to the moderators.

Get the facts straight.

-Z-man.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Z-man
Um, no. I deleted it after it was reported to the moderators.

Get the facts straight.

-Z-man.

Different post.

[fintstone]

Originally posted by fastpat
I deleted it when I realized it sounded too much like something you or fintstone would write.

I don't want any confusion.

Originally posted by Z-man
Um, no. I deleted it after it was reported to the moderators.

Get the facts straight.

-Z-man.

Seems like FastPat claims to have made an intelligent post for a change...but then deleted it. Too bad it was not the truth. that would have shown progress.

You guys that are still reading and responding to FastPat's posts are the reason for his very existence and truly act as an enabler for his problem. Take my advice and put him on ignore. That is the worst punishment you can give him...and will be an amazing relief for you as well.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by fintstone
Seems like FastPat claims to have made an intelligent post for a change...but then deleted it. Too bad it was not the truth. that would have shown progress.

You guys that are still reading and responding to FastPat's posts are the reason for his very existence and truly act as an enabler for his problem. Take my advice and put him on ignore. That is the worst punishment you can give him...and will be an amazing relief for you as well.

Yes, please do as fintstone says, if you're one of his acolytes, you won't understand what I post anyway.

[sammyg2]

Men like these fight so cowards back home can sit on their butts and condem their actions without any fear of reprisal. You know who you are.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by sammyg2
Men like these fight so cowards back home can sit on their butts and condem their actions without any fear of reprisal. You know who you are.

Yeah, right.

[rrpjr]

Like so much in America today that involves this issue, this thread is both inspiring and depressing.

As for the jab about authenticity (the first impulse of many who don’t like what they read), his parents made his letter available to the Orange County Register, which printed it alongside his obituary. Lt. Daily was an ROTC scholar.

I would think in the case of Lt. Daily, who impressively (certainly for a 23-year-old), declared his intentions to no longer accept inaction in the face of tyranny, liberals would find much to appreciate. For one, what could be more offensive to liberalness than tyranny? Didn’t liberals lionize those who journeyed to Spain to fight the Franco fascists, no matter how futiley? (A fairly mild brand of fascism, by the way, compared to the savage one that far more people face today.) Were THEIR principles “pointless”? Here is a man who described his determination to take action against oppression and tyranny, and then did it. What could possibly be more liberal? And what could be more American.

However “misguided” the national American attempt to wage war in Iraq might turn out to be, or however mismanaged the actual effort has become – and men of good faith can argue this issue – it hardly matters to the point of Lt. Daily’s personal statement. He was only telling us why he joined.

To deny a man like Lt. Daily his due or belittle his sacrifice as “pointless” is a kind of existential graverobbing by a niggardly, illiberal mind. It is a moral insult, not only against an individual, but against individuality itself. And against liberalism.

Once, to be a liberal was to embrace differences, to see them as more evidence of a rich humanity, as a further affirmation of one’s own. It was seen as a thing to love, not to fear.

A true “liberal” would love a man like Lt. Daily to his very bones, and find every way possible to do him honor. He would do so without the least fear of losing his own moral identity or, as the case may be, his own clarity of opposition to the war. In fact, he would welcome Lt. Daily’s convictions as a means of sharpening his own. A true liberal is fearless of competing ideas.

I knew some liberals once. I still know a few. I prize them in my life. But I’m afraid they are like the Mohicans. They are vanishing.

Thanks Joe and Randy. I share your sentiments.