Diligence is Our Mission
Sgt. 1st Class Shane Sanderson devoted 22 years of his life to the U.S. Army, including service in Iraq. He is now retired but is still very committed to his brothers and sisters in combat and all of the issues that have an impact on them. In an opinion piece appearing in today’s Wisconsin State Journal, Sanderson describes the evolution of his own thinking about the war in Iraq. At the same time he challenges each of us to avoid talking points and seek out the truth.
Sanderson says that until 2005 he had been ‘drinkin the Kool-Aid.’ At that time he was in Ar Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar Province, Iraq. He says that ‘the death and frustration and conditions that surrounded us worsened daily and helped me to realize the insanity of what was taking place.’ Sanderson describes his frustration at American complacency and the fact that they were not making Bush finally answer the question: What is our mission?
Shane Sanderson also expresses disappointment in U.S. Senator John McCain because even though he knows better he seems to be simply ‘parroting the company line, every step of the way as he crosses the country.’
Sorenson expressly states that he is not asking anyone to vote a certain way but is only asking that people seek the truth and be willing to ask the difficult questions. He says that the truth is available but that we must actively search for it through all of the innuendo and spin. He concludes by challenging us that such diligence is our mission as American citizens. It is work that we not only owe to our soldiers but that we also owe to ourselves.