I read this entire thread with profound fascination. And somewhat ambiguous sentiment. Stealing is wrong. Period. But to me there's something touching about a fellow Canadian who happening upon a Support Our Troops magnet, experiences enough covetousness to actually steal it. Bizarre, I know, but let me explain. The first thing that springs to mind is General Hillier's latest roadshow speech. In it he shares with his audience a video clip from This Hour has 22 Minutes, where a news anchor, a defense expert and government official prattle on to the exclusion of any other intelligent comment about they each wish to make clear that they support the troops. (You can view the clip here: http://www.cbc.ca/22minutes/video.html. Find Nov 21 2006, “I support the troops”) General Hillier expresses…well…gratefulness I guess, that in spite of what Canadians think about the military action, they genuinely appreciate our CF members willingness to take on this difficult, dirty and dangerous work. And the extent of this appreciation in Canadian society is unprecedented.
The second thought that surfaces is a little more personal. My occupation rather restricts my usefulness in South East Asia ops, so when an Any Trade opportunity of my rank arose in ’03, I volunteered. My younger siblings were supportive, but one older and my mother were not. To them, my desire to go was incomprehensible. The comments I got were “The Forces have brainwashed you”, “If you love me you wouldn't go” and “I can't believe that f-ing Bush is doing this to ME.” I know their reactions sprang from concern, but I was unprepared for the aggressive anger they conveyed. Until then I didn't fully understand what support means. I do now. It's any word or deed that communicates a respectful appreciation and gratitude. Even the illegal deeds.
Should discover that my Support Our Troops magnet was stolen, I think my reaction would be, “Wow… somebody cares.”
