“Blessed are the Peacemakers”
By: Joseph T. Manzo
This is a reply to a letter that was published in the local newspaper.
April 12, 2007
How appropriate that Bob /// ended his April 12, 2007 letter, “Waiting for revenge?” with the 1960s drugged out hippy cliché, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if they called a war and nobody showed up?” Well it is obvious that good old Bob wouldn’t show up.
Bob sees our servicemen as, (“Night after night…Kicking in doors…frightening little children, killing infants, killing women and old folks and arresting young adults...”) He hates and vilifies our military and sees our nation enemies as their victims.
Bob is content to overlook an enemy who bombed our foreign embassies, attacked our military and killed American’s at home. Bob must visualize himself as a peacemaker. Bob the peacemaker who would do nothing while we all would have to march in step to the latest dictator or movement that came down the pike. The out come Bob wants with the War on Terrorism is the same outcome the peacemakers of the Vietnam War achieved. What tactics they haven’t used yet from the Vietnam War, they will eventually use; and Bob is right in step with vilifying our military.
While teaching, “The Sermon on the Mount” Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.”
Bob is not a peacemaker. My friend’s son is a peacemaker. He is back in Mosul Iraq after spending two weeks at home. He is an Army tank commander with the First Calvary.
Four of the men from his unit happened to be going home together on the same airline. They ran into another trooper who was returning home after losing a leg in battle a few months before. Four of them have gone back, while the other trooper will have to adjust to a new life. But at the time, they were happy to be going home together.
We seem to forget the bravery and sacrifices that our military makes. The true peace- makers are our military men and women along with their families who sacrifice comfort, life and limb to keep our Nation safe.
The true peacemakers are fighting our enemies and trying to end the cycle of violence. What most people don’t know is that nearly all combat engagements start with the enemy shooting at our soldiers. Our soldiers have a saying, “We recon by fire. We go out on a recon mission and the enemy fires at us.” Our soldier’s moral values and training allow them to exercise restraint, at great risk to themselves, to seek out only those who do not want peace.
My friend’s son and his fellow soldiers were tired from the long trip home on the airline. They waited anxiously as the airplane come to a stop. The pilot spoke over the intercom making the standard announcements for exiting the airplane and added, “Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated while we allow our five returning servicemen to exit the airplane.” The passengers started to applaud as the soldiers stood up and walked off the airplane.
Bob wants to, “stop participating in this horrible war.” However, war decides who it will have participate, not Bob. Our enemies have shown that they are happy to follow us home. If Bob has his way they will again. When they do will you call on Bob the peacemaker, or our military peacemakers?
