Boots On The Ground?

I read a great opinion piece in the Detroit News today titled "Stop calling our troops ‘boots on the ground'" by Dr. Joel Howell and Dr. Sanjay Saint.

What was great about this piece is  it made me stop and think. It made me wonder why I did not think of what they expressed in their piece.

They said, "words matter" — that's something I say quite often, yet I did not stop and think about the words “boots on the ground.”  I ask myself, "Why didn't I think a little deeper about the words that politicians used to refer to individuals who are risking their lives for our country?"

Why are they concerned about this phrase? Because when it's stated, it seems that many people tend to gloss over the fact that men and women are in those boots.

Men and women who — when their boots are on the ground — are usually in danger.

Men and women who are risking their lives.

Men and women who may never come back home, at least alive, and some may come back home severely injured.

As the doctors stated, "'Boots on the ground' implicitly invites the reader to think not about the many individuals who serve, but instead to reduce those people to a single article of clothing, one that in its uniformity belies the many different types of people who wear those boots."

So, when you hear a politician state the words "boots on the ground," ask yourself why did they choose those words?

What are your thoughts?

Call me today on the Live with Renk show, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to noon, to let me know your thoughts at 269-441-9595.