As some of you may know, one of my sons serves in the military. He is
still stateside, here in California. He called me yesterday to let me know
how warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere
he goes, telling me how people shake their hands, and thank them for being
willing to serve, and fight, for not only our own freedoms but so that others may
have them also.
But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at
yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several
people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha. He said when
she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the US flag lapel pin
the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin,
and said proudly, "yes, I always wear it." The woman in the burkha then
asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen,
explaining that she was Iraqi.
A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm
around my son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm
and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman: "Lady, hundreds of thousands of men
and women like this young man have fought and died so that you could stand
here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing your Countrymen. It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR OWN country we wouldn't need to be there today. But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll gladly pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out the mess you are obviously here to avoid."
still stateside, here in California. He called me yesterday to let me know
how warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere
he goes, telling me how people shake their hands, and thank them for being
willing to serve, and fight, for not only our own freedoms but so that others may
have them also.
But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at
yesterday, on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several
people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha. He said when
she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the US flag lapel pin
the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin,
and said proudly, "yes, I always wear it." The woman in the burkha then
asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen,
explaining that she was Iraqi.
A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm
around my son's shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm
and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman: "Lady, hundreds of thousands of men
and women like this young man have fought and died so that you could stand
here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing your Countrymen. It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR OWN country we wouldn't need to be there today. But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll gladly pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out the mess you are obviously here to avoid."
