My Dad is an interesting character (for so many reasons). We haven't had any meaningful discussions about the Iraq war, except in the runup to the 2004 election (where I was surprised to find that they both pretty much agreed with me).
Career military, in my experience, tend to stay out of politics--especially infantrymen, like my Dad was. It's not up to him to question the decisions of the people above him (speaking generically, now, of course, about the plight of the infantryman), but it is his job to "take that hill" if that's the order. However absurd, however suicidal (see the end of the movie Glory).
I have found it interesting, since both my younger sister and her husband have been deployed to combat zones in the past three years, that my parents have openly questioned whether the path we're pursuing is the right one.
My Dad is also a military historian--Ph.D. from Duke--(and like a mad genius for dates, names, places, logistics, strategy, outcomes, implications, etc. Seriously, do NOT play this man in Risk.) so I think he's been astonished at some of the decisions the people in power have made in the execution of the War on Terror. But he's not the outspoken type (I don't know where I got it--oh yes I do, my Mom's Mom) so he's not running around screaming about how they're fucking everything up, even though they are, and even though I'm pretty sure that's what he thinks.
Career military, in my experience, tend to stay out of politics--especially infantrymen, like my Dad was. It's not up to him to question the decisions of the people above him (speaking generically, now, of course, about the plight of the infantryman), but it is his job to "take that hill" if that's the order. However absurd, however suicidal (see the end of the movie Glory).
I have found it interesting, since both my younger sister and her husband have been deployed to combat zones in the past three years, that my parents have openly questioned whether the path we're pursuing is the right one.
My Dad is also a military historian--Ph.D. from Duke--(and like a mad genius for dates, names, places, logistics, strategy, outcomes, implications, etc. Seriously, do NOT play this man in Risk.) so I think he's been astonished at some of the decisions the people in power have made in the execution of the War on Terror. But he's not the outspoken type (I don't know where I got it--oh yes I do, my Mom's Mom) so he's not running around screaming about how they're fucking everything up, even though they are, and even though I'm pretty sure that's what he thinks.
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