We Need to Protect Each Other

I was wearing my veteran hat in the grocery store the other day, and a gentleman came up and said thank you for your service. I am sorry about the idiot in Washington. This gentleman was not wearing a mask and not respecting my personal space. I thanked him and politely told him what I thought about the idiot in Washington. He scoffed, threw his hand towards me, and walked away. I am struggling with the way people are acting in the country. We appear to have lost our respect for each other. 

I cannot understand why people must behave so negatively when they disagree with someone else. This type of division is not what I spent 20 years in the Air Force supporting and upholding. I respect everybody's rights to have their opinion. Unfortunately, I am not given the same respect. When you thank me or anyone else, do not assume they agree with you about politics. The United States was founded on disagreements and compromise, embrace the difference. Meaningful and respectful conversations fix disputes, including the controversy over the pandemic.  

Because so many veterans in the United States have diabetes due to Agent Orange, I cannot understand why veterans choose not to heed medical professionals' warnings about the pandemic. With all the vaccinations we received in the military, some of them not FDA approved for humans in my case, I cannot understand how this is different. In the military, we were required to get vaccines. All the vaccines and experimental medications they pumped into our bodies are no different than the Covid-19 vaccine. I believe the Covid-19 vaccine is needed because there is an actual virus, not one that might be used against us in theatre. I just don't get it. As one of my clients put it concerning the covid-19 vaccine, "it's science, people." It is not that difficult.

When it comes to wearing masks, I don't get it either. I hate wearing one myself. But I also hated wearing chemical warfare suits, going to PT, dealing with the weight program, and following stupid orders. I did it because that's what was best for everyone concerned, including me. When scientists say wearing a mask and getting vaccinated will end this pandemic. Why are we refusing to do what's best for society? 

 I hear people complaining that requiring them to wear a mask is taking away their freedom. There is no difference in making someone wear shoes and shirts in restaurants and grocery stores. Does it suck to wear a mask? You bet it does. How does being told to wear a mask impede your freedoms? What you are doing by not wearing a mask is infringing on everyone's freedoms, especially those with underlying health conditions. It takes away their freedom to go where they want without fear of getting sick and possibly dying because someone refuses to wear a mask. If you are going to discuss freedoms, you need to examine the freedoms for everybody, not just what you want. Not wearing a mask, in my opinion, is selfish. 

If I am wrong about mask-wearing, we are inconvenienced. If someone who refuses to wear a mask is wrong, people can die. How would things have gone if you were in a chemical warfare environment and told to put on your gas mask and refused? During Desert Storm, I was told my choices were to get anthrax, botulism, and whatever else they gave me or go home and wait for an article 15. I had a choice, and I chose to stay. I would have been denied re-enlistment and not been able to provide for them. I placed them first. To me, this is no different. 

I have a wife at home who has medical issues. I do not go inside locations without my mask. She stays at home because people refuse to wear masks. This takes away her freedoms. If you do not want to get the vaccine or wear a mask, that is your choice, but everyone must deal with the possible consequences of your choice, not just you. We all have options. I choose to do what's best for our society and my family. All I would ask is for everyone to do what's best also. You can thank me for my service by wearing a mask and getting the covid-19 vaccine, so this crap can be over with. I want my life back without fear of catching a virus that can kill my family or me because I went to the grocery store.

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