I think I will tell some “truth’s here.” (At least as I know them) During my “up-bringing”, sometime during the eleventh grade, you had some serious “things” to think about. If you didn’t work hard enough to get into college, if your daddy didn’t have “tons” of money and couldn’t buy your way into college, if you weren’t married (late 60’s required married and with children), or if you weren’t classified as 4-F (there might be other “reasons” but I can’t remember them all) you were drafted and the chances of being sent to Viet Nam were almost assured.

Now, after saying all that, I’m sure that we all have known someone who was one of the above. We have known others who married just to keep from going into the service. The numbers of those who did not go are far greater than those who did go.  The numbers of those who did go, and did not face actual combat, are far greater than those who did actually face combat. I could say “I for one hate all of you who did not face combat.” FAIR? Noooooooooooo, and stupid. There are a lot of good people who did not go, did not want to go, and did whatever to keep from going. If Viet Nam were today, I would drive my son to Canada.  I say that because I saw first hand what our leaders were doing to our young men in the name of……..WHAT?  Today we are so quick to pass judgment on someone for something they “didn’t do.” Kind of a strange twist, don’t you think?

Can a non-combatant be a good leader?  What is a non-combatant anyway? Does that mean he hasn’t had the chance yet? (Pvt. York, was a non-combatant). Look around, there are far more of them than there are of us. Just because you are in the position to lead doesn’t mean you will. Just because you haven’t led doesn’t mean you can’t.

Why can’t we just say, I don’t personally like that person, that thing or that situation just because? We don’t or we can’t because that would be exposing us instead of them.