Commemoration of 70 Years From the Signing of the Munich Agreement

This afternoon my husband and I attended a program sponsored by the www.americanfreedomalliance.org marking the 70th anniversary of the Munich Agreement that is generally blamed for leading to World War II.

For those of you who aren’t immersed in the history of World War II, here’s the basic rundown:

Hitler became chancellor of Germany in January of 1933. (The concentration camp Dachau was opened in March of 1933 as a political prison camp.) In contradiction of the peace treaty ending World War I, Germany annexed the Rhineland (the area between Germany and France) in 1936 without the European powers of France and Britain saying anything. (The United States was busy pursuing an isolationist policy at the time.)

Then, in March of 1938, Hitler annexed Austria, which ceased to exist as an independent country. Soon Hitler wanted the Sudentenland, the western part of Czechoslovakia that was predominately populated by ethnic Germans. The Czechs wanted to resist this plan, but were told they had to go along with the policy of Britain and France, which was appeasement.

And at the end of September 1938, based on the Munich Agreement, the Sudentenland of Czechoslovakia was handed over to the Germans, to be followed in 1939 by Nazi Germany’s takeover of the rest of Czechoslovakia.

The British prime minister at that time, Neville Chamberlain, is infamous for the statement “peace in our time” that sealed the fate of millions of Jews, Gypsies, clergy, homosexuals, mentally handicapped and anyone else the Third Reich declared should be exterminated.

At the program that we attended, the German and French consul generals tried to put appeasement in the context of the time – only 20 years after what was then known as the Great War, no one wanted war. (Nobody, that is, except the Germans, who apparently drank so much beer that they forgot the horrors of the World War I trenches.)

But there was also a video from a former Czech prime minister who presented the Czechoslovak side of the story: desertion by the West even though the Czech military were willing to sacrifice their lives to fight the Germans at the Czech border.

The reason for the importance of remembering the Munich agreement was mentioned – to ensure that the free world does not again bow under to appeasement rather than facing head on the horror of tyranny.

I understand the tendency of humans to wish for the best – burying their heads in the sand in hopes that the worst will not overcome them. But I fear that politicians, wishing to remain popular to achieve or stay in office, will repeat the mistakes that the British and French politicians made in appeasing Hitler rather than choosing to emulate Winston Churchill, who refused (though vastly unpopular) to knuckle under to appeasement.

And if our leaders choose to knuckle under, will democracy survive?

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New Year Greetings to U.S. Jewish Servicemen and Servicewomen Wherever You Are Serving

The Jewish New Year holiday of Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown this year on Monday evening, September 29. It’s a two-day holiday that ends at sundown this year on Wednesday evening, October 1. For those of you who don’t know, this is a solemn religious holiday, although we do have festive meals with family and friends besides attending synagogue services.

(For an explanation of this Jewish holiday and other Jewish holidays, see the book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION by me and Rabbi Karen L. Fox on Amazon at http://snipurl.com/jewishholidaybook)

On Rosh Hashanah Jews all over the world will ponder “who shall live and who shall die … who shall come to a timely end and who shall come to an untimely end.”

Yesterday morning at synagogue services I gave a short drash (talk) about the Jewish servicemen and servicewomen who this year will ponder these questions in Iraq or Afghanistan. I said in part:

And while we will chant this prayer in the comfort of our air conditioned sanctuary in the midst of a country that allows Jews to openly and freely celebrate their religion – there are Jewish servicemen and servicewomen who will chant this same prayer amidst the violence of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some of these deployed Jewish military personnel have traveled from their bases in Iraq to other bases where the too-few Jewish chaplains in Iraq or the Jewish lay leaders will lead Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. Some Jewish personnel will be on missions that prevent their getting time off for the High Holidays.

In Afghanistan, some Jewish personnel will choose to stay at their own bases, totally unable to attend any Jewish service, because the risk of traveling to the bases where Jewish services are held is too great. The trip could cost their lives and the lives of their escorts.

For those of you who would like to know more about Jews who serve in the military, go to www.jewsingreen.com and read the last few compelling posts. And for those of you who would like to support all U.S. military personnel who are serving now – and their families – go to my website www.mrslieutenant.com for information on several organizations that help military families.

May this coming year be one that brings us closer to peace for all people.

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Mrs. Lieutenant, www.jewsingreen.com, Rosh Hashanah, Seasons for Celebration, Iraq War, Afghanistan, Rabbi Karen L. Fox

Dog Tags for Kids: A Volunteer Effort for Kids of Deployed Military Personnel Needs Your Help

Below is a guest from from Steve Thompson of Dog Tags for Kids about this very worthwhile project:

The events that transpired on September 11, 2001, confirmed our patriotism as well as our will to pursue justice and stand together in a fight against terrorism. No one knows this better than the men and women serving in our Armed Forces who were poised and ready to perform their duties despite being put in harm’s way.

Amid the rallying that supported our military efforts emerged small victims that were innocently overlooked. The children of deployed parents, unable to grasp the full meaning behind these long separations, tried desperately to cope with the situation.

Military parents tried to keep a connection with their children while serving overseas and often in conditions that left much to be desired. Letters home would contain soothing words of comfort. But something more was needed to really show the young ones that, despite any absence, mom or dad still cared for and loved them.

Unfortunately, items or tokens of affection were not readily available. So an idea was born out of this need:

Rose Sliepka, an engraver in California, had some first-hand knowledge of the shortage of items for deployed soldiers to purchase as her brother had proudly served in Operation Desert Storm. After hearing one such story of a father in Iraq trying to send items home to his children, it was decided that something small and easy to mail which could be sent from mom or dad was just what was needed.

Thus a new grassroots project was born called Dog Tags for Kids. The concept was simple: a military-style dog tag in the appropriate service color that read “With Love From Dad (or Mom)” along with the country (Iraq, Kuwait or Afghanistan) and the year. After all, what child wouldn’t be thrilled to wear a tag like mom or dad, especially when it was sent with love from abroad during the parent’s tour of duty?

The program grew like wildfire and became a tremendous hit with the troops and kids alike. In fact, along with the public’s help, a small group of volunteers has so far been able to produce and ship over 360,000 tags overseas to be returned home. It might be a small gesture, but to the children on the receiving end, there could have been nothing better to get and proudly display.

Dog tags from moms and dads soon started appearing on backpacks, book bags and around the neck, keeping the tags close to the children’s hearts. More importantly, the tags generated smiles! Friends and family at home could see the difference the tags made, and in fact reported that this brought many kids out of their shell for the first time since mom or dad went away. Now, no matter where the children were, they could carry with them a reminder of a loving parent.

Despite efforts to raise awareness and keep such a program afloat, the economic times have presented a major stumbling block. While the public’s generosity has been monumental in getting the project this far, it has appeared at times that the organization would fail in its goal to provide a tag for every member in harm’s way that requested one.

Now funds are desperately needed in order for the program to continue in its drive to support our military. And it’s important to note that, unlike other non-profit groups, there are absolutely no administrative fees taken. Thanks to a small but dedicated all-volunteer staff, all proceeds are used exclusively for tags and mailing.

At present we have a backlog of requests from the troops that we are trying to fill as quickly as possible. In order to do that though, we need help. While we certainly hope for contributions, we understand the difficulty for many. In those cases, we hope that, in lieu of donations, some time can be spent in helping us spread the word to others.

Please tell friends and relatives, employers and associates and those commercial entities you support that may be able to help. It only takes 50 cents to send a tag, and the result it produces can’t be had at any cost much less one so low.

For more information and to donate, visit www.dogtagsforkids.com to see letters of thanks and appreciation from the troops as well as pictures of the kids wearing their tags and smiles! It’s a great way to thank our military men and women for the service to their country and help them stay connected to the important ones in their lives.

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Mrs. Lieutenant, Dog Tags for Kids, deployed military personnel, Iraq War, Afghanistan, Steve Thompson

Heritage Foundation's Report on Who Serves in the Military Reveals Surprising Information

I strongly urge you to read Stephen J. Dubner's Freakonomics column in the September 22nd New York Times at http://snipurl.com/whoserves. The Heritage Foundation's report that Dubner discusses in his column includes these surprising facts:

So 50 percent of the enlisted recruits (i.e., not including the officers’ corps) come from families in the top 40 percent of the income distribution, while only 10 percent come from the bottom 20 percent...

These trends are even more pronounced in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (R.O.T.C.) program,” reads the report, “in which 40 percent of enrollees come from the wealthiest neighborhoods ...

Read the column yourself to learn more, including this information:

There’s a further important point that can’t be found in this report but can be found in another one, which compiles race-specific U.S. military fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan. As of March 1, 2008, there were 2,964 white fatalities in Iraq, representing 74.8 percent of the total; in the general population, meanwhile, whites in that age cohort make up about 62 percent of the population, so whites are overrepresented among Iraqi fatalities. Blacks and Hispanics, meanwhile, are both underrepresented; the same is true in Afghanistan.

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Mrs. Lieutenant, Iraq War, ROTC, deployed military personnel, New York Times, Freakonomics, Stephen J. Dubner, Heritage Foundation

Helping Big Tobacco Come Clean

Today Big Tobacco put a new post on his blog with the title "Coming Clean." But because there is a paragraph near the top of the post that is R-rated, I'm going to put most of his post here rather than send you to his blog.

Below is the excerpt from the September 24th post by Big Tobacco, written from an undisclosed FOB (forward operating base) somewhere in or near Iraq:

I’ve been asked my multiple people to “please write a book” so they can still enjoy my writing when I’ve redeployed and the blog is done. Well, you are going to get your wish.

It’s too late for me to take masters classes at school, so I’ve decided to start writing ... a novel.

Wow! That sounds incredibly pretentious. Can you imagine me signing books at a Borders?

"Hi, I'm Bee Tee, famous Iraq War vet and novelist. I'll sign your book, but only if you let me sign your chest first."

Now this novel presents a problem, because with the exception of a few short stories from college and one or two as mental exercises, I really haven’t written any fiction. But I’ve never let ignorance stop me from doing anything.

Phyllis Miller from mrslieutenant.blogspot.com is the key to all of this. She is helping me out with story structure and editing. So do me a favor, go to her website and buy her book. She deserves the extra scratch while she helps straighten out the kinks in this thing.

In the meantime, maybe I'll take up smoking a pipe.

What I want to know is: Where is his disclaimer that all mistakes are his own?

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Mrs. Lieutenant, Big Tobacco, Iraq War, novel

Married to the Military – Part II

The following is the second and concluding part of Summer Watson’s guest post about being a military spouse today.

I felt like I was back in the 1950s, where I should have been wearing the dress, pearls (oh yea, I did wear pearls), and the high heels with dinner ready for my husband each evening. Many of the women on the island felt the same way.

Very few of us worked but were involved with the Marine Officers’ Spouses Club. We volunteered for various functions, we played a lot of Bunco, and tried to fill our time with various other things like tennis and lunch. This was nice but it was not overly fulfilling for me.

The second year of our tour in Okinawa the orders came and my husband was going to be sent to Iraq. This was almost too much for me to handle. I thought, “How could this be? I am in a foreign country; I can’t just pick-up and move home.”

My husband was gone for two-three months of training and was in Iraq for seven. I did not want to be in Okinawa without my spouse. I was angry, afraid (not only for myself but more so for my husband). I had to be strong for him but I felt so alone.

He left and I found my way. I pulled from that semi-forgotten independence that was stripped from me when I married a Marine. I say “stripped from me” because I had to somewhat conform and understand the military culture to continue to have a loving relationship with my spouse.

The military culture still idealizes the values of the ‘50s, meaning relationships are more traditional with such expectations like dinner on the table every night, being the supportive stay-home “wife,” and putting your life and many of your own goals aside for the success of your husband’s military career. Remember, “if the military wanted your spouse to have a wife, it would have issued him one.” I was not standard issue but I was willing to give up a lot of what I considered my natural self for the love of a terrific human being!

I pulled myself together, stayed in Okinawa with my dog, got involved, and tried to support my friends. Many of my friends, who were also married to a Marine, were left on the island while their spouse was either in Iraq or Afghanistan. One example of this crazy situation was during my birthday lunch. I was out with 11 girlfriends and eight out of the bunch were without their husbands due to their husbands being deployed. It was a challenging time, a time of growth and reflection, and a time to regain some of my forgotten-self.

I felt a little less camouflaged by the military than I had in years. I may have been one of several wives with a husband at war, but I finally felt somewhat actualized by the experience. It gave me back strength that I had but had forgotten was there. I, again, had balance. I was there for my husband, and the experience helped me develop into a person who was healthier and wiser.

We are back in California. I, again, am ready to conquer some of my goals. However, I have a marriage with a phenomenal bond; I have more of an understanding of how to graciously pick my battles with this military culture; and through it all have regained a fair amount of my independence.

Additionally, I have gained some very valuable knowledge from the Okinawan people, and that is to “live in the present.” I no longer feel so camouflaged by a system I viewed as restrictive and overbearing.

Thanks, Summer, for sharing your military spouse story.

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Mrs. Lieutenant, Summer Watson, Marines, military spouses, Okinawa

Married to the Military – Part I

Those of you who have read MRS. LIEUTENANT know it is from the point of view of military spouses in 1970. I am often asked how the experiences of the women in the novel relate to the experiences of military spouses today. Marine spouse Summer Watson graciously provides her take on her current military spouse experience in the following two-part guest post.

I am a military spouse. I am a partner, who supports her husband in his daily life. I do not live my life based on what my husband does since I have a life that is independent of his career. I am not enmeshed with my husband nor do I try and live vicariously through him to define myself or my status. I have always been a person with an independent nature.

I met my husband during our senior year of high school. I went to UC Berkeley for my B.A. degree. I went off to Connecticut to study law and a year later returned and married my high school sweetheart. He joined the Marine Corps and my life changed.

I had dated military men while in high school, but it was nothing like being married to the military. The military is not just a job but a lifestyle; a unique sub-culture that turned my world in many different directions. I was not only married but I had a new parent – the Marine Corps.

The Corps had my husband under its spell, and I was trying my best to individuate him from this unhealthy paradigm but he wasn’t having any of it!

My growth within this culture was difficult. My husband joined the military at 24 years old, where young men and women join at an early age. So I was living, shopping… amongst a crowd of babes. I felt like I had more experience in life and was in a situation where several of the people I was around never went to college or lived away from their family-homes – this was their college experience but with a very strict parent!

As time went on, I found my escape in school. I went on to get a master’s in human services with a specialization in community counseling and then onto a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I yearned for educational stimulation. I felt restricted and confined in the military culture that I lived.

Eventually I had a chat with my husband and explained that he should research some of the officer programs. He did and is now a Chief Warrant Officer 2. He got his B.A. while in the Marine Corps and he has always done very well within this system.

About three years ago we got transferred to Okinawa, Japan. This was a significant transition for me. I had just graduated with my doctoral degree and was ready to move on professionally and then we got our orders. We had to move and it would be a three-year tour in Okinawa.

We got to Okinawa and I was unable to get a job on any of the bases and I was struggling. I had worked, since 15 years old. I did not know what to do with myself. Furthermore, whenever I went for a job, I always nailed the interview and got the job I wanted. Well, this was not the case in Okinawa. You actually had to know someone to even get noticed. I was not given the chance. A qualified, willing individual with experience and several degrees was out of a job for three years. I volunteered, helped friends, shopped, and hosted a lot of parties.

Stay tuned for the second part of this guest post to find out what Summer Watson learned from this experience in Okinawa.

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Mrs. Lieutenant, Summer Watson, Marines, military spouses, Okinawa