One of my favorite things in the world is PBS’s NewsHour. And something I both anticipate and dread is their Honor Roll of U.S. military personnel who’ve died in Iraq and Afghanistan. They do it just about every week. I don’t know of any other news show which so regularly honors the fallen. It’s one reason I love the show. The show doesn’t let me forget.
Tonight, the fallen ranged from a 19 year old PFC to a 45 year old Staff SGT. That’s typical, that age range. It’s not necessarily a young man’s war. Nor is it necessarily a man’s war. Quietly and steadily, women are being integrated into combat rolls. The situation in Iraq forced that, as Iraq had no front lines or rear areas prior to the withdrawal of U.S. troops to bases in 2009. Afghanistan seems to be slightly more traditional in terms of hot zones and cool zones. However, so many of the dead in Iraq were killed as part of supply convoys. Rear-eschelon people. That includes women. Thus, the military seems to have eased the restiriction against women in combat. Women can serve as medics in combat zones, for instance. And women have been flying combat missions for a while now – not that anyone remembers the pilots.
But this is not what I wanted to write about when I signed on. I wanted to write about Barack Obama.
That I lived in the age of Barack Obama will probably be the most significant thing history remembers about me. I couldn’t be happier for it. I voted for him. I was thrilled when my long-time red state turned blue on election night. And I remain happy with his personal performance and more happy than not with his administration’s performance. (But when are they going to be at full staff levels?!?!)
Months after the election, I still got goosebumps when I saw him walk to the podium to give an address. That’s our president, I would think with great pride. That’s our representative. My representative.
This pride stems partly from my age. This is the first time my candidate has won since I’ve been old enough to vote. I’m in part of the core constituency which elected Obama. I remain proud.
I’m also a centrist and a pragmatist on most days, and I admire Obama’s instinct to facilitate discussion and compromise because it mirrors my own instinct. My understanding of U.S. political history is that it’s always been this polarized – that we tend to wax nostalgic for times that were little different from our own. Compromise is the way to get things done. It just takes longer and no one is entirely happy about it. But governing isn’t easy. Nor should it be.
So my commonplace book should include plenty about this transformative public figure, my president, Barack Obama. We’ll see how that turns out.
-LW
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