Free Republic

The Whitney clan will not soon forget Armed Forces Day 2003. That's when, fittingly, our 19-year-old son Ian came home from the war. Since early March he had been at Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, serving as a crew chief for the A-10 Warthog. My wife and I had never sent a child off to war, much less welcomed home a veteran. We knew several days in advance that Ian would be coming into Battle Creek sometime on May 17, but didn't know the exact time. At 4:55 that morning the telephone rang, waking us from a fitful sleep....

It's driving liberals nuts — the image of President George W. Bush in a flight suit on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. There he was, slapping officers on the back, posing for pictures, joking with sailors and aviators. You can bet your bottom dollar these images will be used during the 2004 campaign — they'll make Bush harder to beat. But those who are complaining loudest, who are fixated on the political use of the images, are apparently deaf to their historical resonance. Historically, Americans tend to elect presidents with military experience, the more heroic the better....

it's driving liberals nuts — the image of President George W. Bush in a flight suit on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. There he was, slapping officers on the back, posing for pictures, joking with sailors and aviators. You can bet your bottom dollar these images will be used during the 2004 campaign — they'll make Bush harder to beat. But those who are complaining loudest, who are fixated on the political use of the images, are apparently deaf to their historical resonance.

A new May Day. The stagecraft was masterful. As the president spoke, the world's attention was as much on the ship as on the speech. Our plain-speaking commander in chief commended America's men and women in uniform. He did not hesitate to call our struggle a triumph over "the forces of evil." He asserted that "This is a victory of more than arms alone. This is a victory of liberty over tyranny." The president then reminded listeners that America is "the strongest nation on earth," and with this status comes "burdens and responsibilities": "It is not yet the day for...

The headlines — that all major military operations in Iraq are over — mirror our son's most recent e-mail, saying that he will shortly know his next assignment, or possibly whether he will be coming home. His mother and I are hoping against hope that he will be back in East Lansing for his birthday on May 28. We are planning on throwing a party for him, although we know better than to count on it. In the meantime, Ian is sorting through what to box up and send back home. High on the list is his Kevlar vest. How...