Stars and Stripes

I don't wave an American flag in my front yard and there are no yellow, "Support our Troops" magnets displayed on my car. I didn't realize how patriotic I could feel until this past weekend.

I'll set the scene: Three of us, my fiancee, a friend, and myself were sitting in a food court area in Atlanta Hartsfield International airport enjoying General Tso's Chicken and fried rice when we heard whistling and clapping coming from the other side of the atrium. Led by a woman holding Old Glory, there were a couple dozen of our nation's finest soldiers dressed in desert camo, looking too fresh and too clean to be returning from any forward area of combat. As I stood and clapped, I felt like a fraud, I felt like I was doing the bare minimum to show my patriotism. Yet, there were others in the area that knew what as going on that didn't stand, that didn't even clap and I realized how divided and diluted our country actually is. I couldn't help but think which of these young, brave men and women would not be coming back from their service overseas.

I don't think I will ever know what it feels like to defend my country and I know that it is every American's right to question our government and our leadership, but the lack of respect of these people that didn't even clap their hands was shocking to experience. Regardless of your view of the war and why we are sending troops there, or why we shouldn't be sending troops there, if I see someone sitting and not giving our military the respect they deserve, by god I will walk over to you and kick you in the balls (or the crotch, if you are a girl).