(Associated Press photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivalis)
This photo underneath the commander-in-chief yesterday shows the late Sgt. Amy Krueger of Kiel, Wisconsin, one of the 13 Fort Hood soldiers who was slain last week by a gunman who was almost certainly deranged, his mind possibly warped by poisonous teachings in the misguided name of religion. The death of Krueger and her comrades on U.S. soil has captured the nation's attention, but in many ways her sacrifice is no different than her brothers and sisters-in-arms who died in Afghanistan or Iraq, or in the long line that stretches back to the American Revolution.
Although President Obama's eulogy yesterday was controversial -- just like everything else he does -- I think the president was right to focus his talk manly on the soldiers that we lost in Fort Hood. Both yesterday and today -- Veterans Day -- are the right time to focus on the basic decency and values of the typical service member, both those who gave their lives and those who did not. As I listened to the retelling of Krueger's path from small-town America to Fort Hood, I was struck by how she was both so remarkable and yet so typical.
According to news accounts, Krueger was initially interested in a career in social work, but abruptly shifted gears in the hours after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. While the remains of the World Trade Center will still smoldering, she and a friend walked into an Army recruiting center and enlisted:
Jeri Krueger recalled telling her daughter that she couldn’t take on bin Laden by herself.
“Watch me,” her daughter replied.
Kiel High School Principal Dario Talerico told the Associated Press that Krueger graduated from the school in 1998 and had spoken at least once to local elementary school students about her career.
“I just remember that Amy was a very good kid, who like most kids in a small town are just looking for what their next step in life was going to be and she chose the military,” Talerico said. “Once she got into the military, she really connected with that kind of lifestyle and was really proud to serve her country.”
As noted earlier. Krueger's story is on one level incredible, yet in another sense she is so representative of so many of her peers -- someone from a tiny corner of America who was searching for ways to get out into the wider world and somehow make it a better place. That's why Veterans Day is a good time to remember the soldiers like her and their sacrifice, but to also to ponder the enormous responsibility that our leaders -- in this case, President Obama as well as his leading policy advisers and his top generals -- carry with them. They have under their command the enormous positive energy of volunteers like Amy Krueger, and it is their solemn duty to make sure that it doesn't go to waste, that is used for missions that make sense and with the simple purpose that Sergeant Krueger carried with her until the day she died, to improve life for other people. There'll be other days for debating and arguing what that mission is, particularly in Afghanistanm but today, Veterans Day, is also a day for praying that our leaders get it right.
Yea, Will, thank us for our service. I am sure you were thinking of us everyday that you spent in college, having chosen to serve your own interests rather than your country.— AngryWhiteMale
Did our veterans fight and die so Nancy Pelosi can throw Americans in jail if they don't buy health insurance? Probably not.— jmc
Comment removed.- To all veterans...Happy Veterans Day, and thank you for serving!— legatus
- Is there any reason at all that the word servic (deliberate spelling error) is being censored? My post above would not go through until I changed that word to the word "serving". Weird.— legatus
Happy Veterans Day. To all on here who served and to any of your family members who served or are currently serving please pass along a "Thank You" from Bird11. A special thanks to PAEnglish today - I know you didn't serve in the U.S. armed forces but your country has proven to be one of our few true allies over the years.— bird11- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Will: You never once pondered the enormous responsibility President Bush carried with him, while you played Monday Morning President for 8 years.— jmc
- --snip-- Although President Obama's eulogy yesterday was controversial .... --snip-- Maybe someone can fill me in on this? What was "controversial" about the eulogy?— Talking point sleuth
- TPS - the one point I heard discussed was that nowhere in the remarks (I don't consider it a eulogy) did he mention the word terror or terrorist. His words for the attack were "twisted logic".— bird11
- Some right wingers wanted more terrorism red meat -- I don't think a memorial service is really appropriate for that, but... I think his handling of Hasan was just right, personally.— will
- TPS - the point I heard discussed was that the President did not use the words terror or terrorist attack in describing the incident. Obama referred to it as twisted logic.— bird11
- Ah, right, I forgot. Completely partisan lunatics ranting about Obama = "controversy." --snip-- "But this much we do know: no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts. No just and loving God looks upon them with favor. --snip-- So, that isn't enough? He didn't use the word "terrorism?" Calling out a twisted logic that turns Islam into motivation for murder isn't enough? LOL! It really is amazing how PC focused far-right lunatics will get in order to find an excuse to criticize Obama out of partisan motivations. They actually stoop to criticizing a president's eulogy because he is a Democrat.— Talking point sleuth
- To be honest, I really don't think there is much controversy about the President's remarks. I went to LGF and a few other sites, and most right wing comments were along the lines of "Very well spoken by the President. Grave and somber as it should be. I especially appreciated his personally mentioning each name of those who were murdered. It couldn't have been done better." In fact, I saw more lefty comments predicting controversy (or claiming that there is in fact a controversy, as Will has done) over Obama's remarks than righty comments actually criticizing the speech. Why does the left seem to WANT a controversy over this?— legatus
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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