Pledge supported
I just finished skyping to Pittsburgh and was told about a little girl in Brownsville who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
I was particularly touched by the story as I am currently serving in Afghanistan defending her right to protest and for the freedom she enjoys today.
It affected me deeply as we are praying for one of our fellow soldiers who recently had both of his legs blown off by a Taliban improvised explosive device. His status is sketchy, and we know he is not only clinging to life, but to the hopes he may ever be able to stand again.
While our mission is to keep the enemy from ever attacking our homeland again, we also have a mission to protect the Afghan people, so they too can someday enjoy a life without fear of being shot or blown up by Taliban fighters.
I would readily ask a young Afghan child if, in exchange for living a life of peace and to know freedom, they would find it offensive to pause for two minutes a day and extend appreciation to those who protect them through reciting a simple pledge of allegiance. What do you think their answer would be?
Maj. C. King
Bagram Airfield
Afghanistan