Why Military People Do What They Do For A Living

You know, some people still don't understand why
military personnel do what they do for a living. This
exchange between Senators  John Glenn and Howard
Metzenbaum is worth reading.

Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech,
but it's also a good example of one man's explanation
of why men and women in the Uniformed Services do what
they do for a living.

    Senator Metzenbaum to Senator Glenn:
    "How can you run for Senate when you've never held
a 'real job'?"

    Senator Glenn:
    "I served 23 years in the United States Marine
Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions.
My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different
occasions.  I was in the space program. It wasn't my
checkbook; it was my Life on the line. It was not a 9
to 5 job where I took time off to take the daily cash
receipts to the bank.

    I ask you to go with me, as I went the other day,
to a Veterans Hospital and look those men with their
mangled bodies in the eye and tell them they didn't
hold a job.

    You go with me to the space program and go as I
have gone to the widows and orphans of Ed White and
Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, and you look those kids
in the eye and tell them that their dad didn't hold a
job.

    You go with me on Memorial Day coming up, and you
stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have
more friends than I'd like to remember, and you watch
those waving flags, and you stand there, and you think
about this nation, and you tell me that those people
didn't have a job.

    I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum, you should be on
your knees every day of your life thanking God that
there were some men-SOME MEN-who held a job. And they
required a dedication to purpose and a love of country
and a dedication to duty that was more important than
life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made
this country possible.

    I HAVE HELD A JOB, HOWARD! What about you?"