Military intelligence is generally considered an oxymoron but then is it really? I recently discovered a sign on the 23 Moorpark freeway near Thousand Oaks, CA. it dedicates the route to the military intelligence community. We all have our interpretation of the military and how it reacts to the situations that it faces. Some of the time the picture is not pretty and most of the time the people who are involved have no idea why they are told to do some things. A famous quote from the TV show M.A.S.H. that is read by Colonel Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan ) basically says when they gave me this rank they took away my explaining bone. This is just saying that because it is a military situation you are taught that you just do what you are told and then think about it once the mission is completed. It can also mean that some of the time people can later use this as an excuse for the acts that they did perform in the name of some movement. The refrain “I was only following orders” can be heard many times in history. It is important for us to balance those things that we do for the good of our Country with the morals that we have. It is hoped that these goals are mutual and that we can only do those things that are not only right, but make us feel great. Military intelligence should be the source of the information that allows our leaders to make the correct decisions and gives our troops the basis to make the best decisions. We are always hoping that our nation’s leaders who are making these decisions are people with the highest morality. When I first saw the sign on the freeway that dedicated that section to Military Intelligence I thought it was funny. Now that I have had more time to think about it I do understand. We are giving thanks and showing respect for the work that is not always acknowledged because if we acknowledged the people involved, they could be placed in more danger then they are usually. Also it just could be that this would make their work impossible. If you do a great job working for the CIA, your medal is kept by the agency to protect other people. I suspect that this is done by other similar organizations and we will never know what important work is done for us. I do appreciate the “need to know” principal and do realize that I do not know everything instantly. So thank you and it is great to see that you have been recognized even if it is in a remote part of the Los Angeles Freeway system.
Might it have been better if it was on the Ronald Regan 118 Fwy?
No comments:
Post a Comment