Worth a Thousand Words

Official Navy Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Dunlap

This picture conveys much more than I could ever describe to my fellow classmates over the last three years of seminary.  I went to a school with a strong current of pacifism running through a large majority of the student body.  That's fine and it really broadened my theological perspective and had made me a better thinker on many lines.  But for the life of me, I could never really get my point across that a nation as prosperous as ours and with the immense resources that we possess in material and drive needs a strong military.  It was difficult to demonstrate how the military does a great deal more than just send people into harms way.  The US Military is also one of if not the largest humanitarian aid organization on this planet.  Many pacifists I encounter fail to acknowledge that simple fact and don't even want to discuss the non-military benefits of a strong military. 

As a submarine officer, I never had the opportunity to participate in a humanitarian relief mission, but I know of several that occurred during my initial time of service Indonesia after the tsunami and Katrina to name a few.  But even in bringing those up it was hard to establish with certain classmates the amazing ability of the military to turn on a dime and switch from military missions to humanitarian ones.  I am keeping this photo on my computer to help illustrate the point in as clear a vision as I can.  This official Navy photo was taken onboard USS Peleliu as two of 19 helos lifted off for Pakistan to help with the relief efforts following the destruction of catastrophic flooding in that country (reports are saying 15+% of the country is under significant levels of water.) 

When you think about what this photo is saying, it is truly amazing.  We are diverting valuable resources from a military asset in an area in which the US Military is engaged in two separate countries simultaneously to help another nation.  A nation with which we are effectively fighting against as they are offering aid to our enemies in Afghanistan.  Pakistan is doing a good job playing both sides of the issue and yet we still send our resources to help the citizens of that nation.  Resources that could possibly save American lives in theater are being sent to help civilians of a nation that we don't really know is friend or foe.  Only a nation with a strong military can accomplish that type of operation.  What is truly amazing is that some in this country have derided us for taking too long to divert these resources. 

A strong military is the only way we can rapidly get humanitarian aid where it needs to go, regardless of our other commitments, in a rapid manner.  This is especially true in remote areas as seen in the Pakistan floods.  The military presence across the globe allows us to do just this.  And our servicemen and women gladly do this mission in addition to the other requirements they must still meet as this is additional mission requirements.  A peacekeeping force can't react this quick (I haven't heard much about a UN response to the catastrophe.)  The US military is the only agency that has been able to respond in a fast manner to help those in need.  I just hope that in the future I remember this photo and bring it out to tell the story of why we need a strong military in order to help those in need in every part of the world, even the most remote and desperate areas.

This photo is one of the many reasons I am proud to serve and am looking forward to getting back out there soon.