Letter To The Editor: Military Respect

Dear Editor,
I just want to start out by saying how saddened my heart is over the recent happenings in our Country. The new President along with White House Staff and the Washington D.C. police called the National Guard to their aid for protection during the recent inauguration and just in case you do not watch the news or missed some of the events of this, our service members were treated poorly to say the least. Many of you may not know what it is like to be a part of a military family. I on the other hand can say that I do. My father was a TN National Guardsman for over 40 years and we had times in my childhood when he would be called to serve such as the sanitation worker strikes in Memphis and even in Germany at one point. I also have a husband that served 26 1/2 years in the US Navy Submarine service. He would leave on deployments of anywhere from a few days to 6 months at time. There was little to no communication until he would hit a port and that was not often. I also have a son that served 6 years in the US Navy and stayed in the US Navy Reserves. He moved to Chester County last June and after only a few weeks of being here got a call to Active Duty after 6 years of Reserve Duty. This was definitely unexpected, but when you are called, you go and do your job. The military is not for everyone. It takes special people who are willing to sacrifice even their lives. I have 100 percent respect for all those who have served and continue to serve and this is an unacceptable act that was taken upon these men and women in Washington who were sent there and left in a cold concrete garage parking lot to stay overnight on January 21st and until they could be returned home to their more normal daily lives with family and other jobs. How can we turn our heads and accept this type of treatment? These people took an oath to serve and protect our Country and this is how they are being treated during a time our new President is saying we are here to UNITE AMERICA. I never thought I would live to see times like we are in during my lifetime, but we all need to wake up and get back to the roots of why and how our Country was founded. History is what has happened in the past and we should all be able to look back and accept it and move forward to see that what we did not agree with can be changed to be better. Everyone should understand that race, color or religion are just as they are stated and they have no bearing on the heart and soul of an individual. Can you do your part in working to UNITE and not DIVIDE and live by the principles of GOD and COUNTRY?
Sincerely,
Gayle Cox