Marines under fire in Arizona territory, Vietnam 1970
The photo above of a Marine unit under fire was taken by my husband, then a 21 year-old USMC infantryman and Combat Artist in Vietnam. Later, he learned that some of the men had been blown away. When we came across it recently, we wondered if other veterans had the same questions as he and I have had:
What do these posers and posters represent? What are their motivations for the display? What is being expressed about their values and intentions? Do they truly wish to identify themselves with that image? Do they think twice about any of it, or even once?
I would guess some of the posters are not even aware of their motivations, which could be any/or all of the following: mindlessness, boredom, machismo, a current trend thing, a political statement, or twisted form of patriotism? In my humble opinion, at the most obvious (and ludicrous) level, these posers are saying:
Hi, I like to dress up and pose with weapons because:
a. I am patriotic (especially if I am near a flag).
b. I can defend myself against wild animals
c. I'd like to be a vigilante.
d. I just think it's cool to appear armed and dangerous.
e. I support the 2nd amendment but couldn't find a musket or flinlock pistol (the only firearms available when it was passed).
And for some Christian posers and posters, who somehow are in the mix of this frenzy with perceived persecution of religious rights, shouldn't they consider that once popular question: "What would Jesus (most likely) do? Oh, wait...here is what some would like to think he would have done if he had a weapon.
1. Next time you are enjoying target practice, aiming at bottles, cans or small animals in your back yard, or just whiling away the hours fiddling with your weapon, take a moment to let it sink in:
2. Sign up for military service, where dress is NOT a costume and weapons are NOT for appearances, a hobby or leisure entertainment.