Virgie Bell's View: Boys and Girls

Regarding what the main stream media and the new majority in the House and Senate may say, I am appalled at their lack of concern for anything to help our military. No, instead they are doing all they can to harm our troops in order prove the point that I am right. It is time for the truth to be told about our troops and the desire to come home or to stay on the battlefield.

For the most part, the troops are young and absolutely not interested in politics. If they were raised in a Baptist environment they will like be of the Baptist faith. A Catholic home raises Catholic children. On the battlefield they come together in worship which I believe to be the true church, which is the church of the heart. If you sit on Amen row at a church and you do it for votes, shame on you. One of the reasons for our troops being young is that as we get older we get more cautious in everything. That is just life. These warriors have their mind on the job at hand. They are trying to stay alive and defend our freedom and that takes all of the time and concentration. That is number one and anyone or anything that disrupts that train of thought, then it is a crime against America.

These young defenders of our nation were formed at home with home values. When they were young, they played trucks or dolls. They are soldiers and sailors almost at birth. De'on makes much of being the coffee maker in Panama, but in fact I would never have wanted her to do anything but make coffee. That is the mother in me; the desire to protect my young.

We have made much of treating males and females the same; otherwise, it is some sort of insult to somebody somewhere. I was raised back in the time when ladies go first and the door is opened by the husband. She also should have that hot meal on the table when he comes home from work. Yes, I know that is the 1950's in me but let me tell you something. I was nearly a teen-agar when I saw my first divorcee. I remember it vividly. It was that rare. For another matter to be honest I wish we had not ever put our daughters in the line of fire. Remember, they played with the doll while the brother played soldier. God made them as they are. They come with this inner difference. We might make a difference in the role model they seek to be, but not by much. If any mistakes are made they are by us humans. The Creator didn't make one mistake.

Now I will be the first to admit that the old attraction between the opposite sexes is probably never more of a deterrent that it is on the battlefield. This is neither the time nor the place, but somehow that seems to have gone by the wayside. I am not for the gays on the battlefield for the exact same reason. This is a time for fight or flight. That is war. We have let our stupid rights as far as the battle between the sexes get in the way of how God created our inner being. I am sorry; that is the fact. Nonetheless, it is true I used to sunbathe on our roof in the country when I was a teenage girl. Our house was built for an upper story. Very high and very dangerous, yet I thought nothing of it. It was a girl thing. The suntan. My brothers climbed it just to climb it. A boy thing.

OK...you can say I am a racist and a bigot. Maybe so, and I really don't care. I don't run for any office. I don't need a vote and you would have to hold a weapon on me to do a little publicity. When I was a teenager I sang the soprano solo over TV with my choir for back-up. That is a girl thing and also a God thing. If the song had of been Old Man River, it would have been sung by one of the guys. It would have been a bass part and therefore a boy thing and a God thing. I sang The Lord’s Prayer which is a soprano lead. These are talents which are gifts from God. You can say whatever you want about me and some of my thinking... you could even be right.

So let me tell you something about the strongest Marine I ever knew who lived to tell of it. That is my Uncle Lonnie. He survived three of the toughest battles in the South Pacific during World War 2. He was the highest ranking officer on the Philippines. He was wounded and received a Purple Heart. He served my country for twenty years in the military. He is in the Texas Tech Football Hall of Fame. Much a guy thing and much a macho thing. Makes little nieces such as De'on and myself very proud. Gives us bragging rights.

When I kept a vigil by my Grandmother’s death bed, as I promised her I would, one night Uncle Lonnie decided to stay with me. I got to visit with him and of course, I got to ask him questions that I would never have a chance otherwise. You could tell the difference in us, military and non-military. He carried himself erect and never lost his officer’s bearing ...whereas I dithered around all over the place. I remember two things we talked about. I asked him if it was right in God’s eyes to kill someone in battle. He thought about it a minute and realized that I asked because I wanted to know. He told me after the pause that yes; the Bible would back that up. I had heard that my Aunt Arlene, his wife of many years had never worn pants. This was unheard of by me. When I asked him if it was so you could hear the pride in his voice as he answered me she has never had a pair of pants on in her life. He was proud of this very, very girl thing. The feminine side of her. She was a lady... his lady. How great.

So all I am saying as we travel this road of life together. Don't let our politicians ruin our military. If I thought those in the Congress and Senate knew what the President and his advisers knew, I would call for heads to roll at the top. If we really believe that our military wants to come home, then you are basing that on the one tenth of one percent that feel that way. The rest are warriors and they love the job.

I have a picture of De'on and it is in a frame I can see from here. She is crawling in a river in full military gear and she has her eyes closed. She said she did it on purpose because if there were snakes or something she didn't want to see them. If her son had left us with a picture of him in the same position, he would have had those eyes peeled and hoping to fight that snake...to maybe catch it in between his teeth. That is a God thing and a boy thing and a hero thing. She, of course, should have been back at the base making coffee. Eyes closed are very God and very girl and besides it keeps her safe for her Mother. That is a God thing, a girl thing, and a mommy thing.... SUPPORT THE TROOPS!