I am writing you in hopes that you may be able to give me and my sailors a little space in our hometown paper. We call Oak Harbor our town, home, or duty station. I myself have been stationed on and off the island since1984. I’ll cut to the chase. You see sir, we have left our Oak Harbor for yet another deployment (this makes 15 for myself) with young sailors and ol’ salty ones, defending our great nation for what we hoped are the same beliefs that all Americans share. It has saddened me to read in your paper about war protesting happening in our town. My young men and women sailors are serving today on the front lines defending their very freedom to protest, and this is an insult to our troops.
Our sailors and marines were trained to do their job, and that’s defending this great nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. No one in my squadron wants war, but, sometimes, it’s necessary to remove people who don’t view our nation as a nation of opportunity.
How short is the memory of the protesters since Sept. 11, when 3,000 Americans and foreigners were killed by terrorists? I didn’t see any protesters then, trying to send a message of love and not hate against the terrorists and their supporters.
These people live in a vacuum. I have served my country for the past 25 years never once asking for anything from it but the chance to serve my great nation. If you ever see me bleed, it will be Red, White and Blue! I have seen the enemy’s face, he and she don’t like us Americans because of our freedoms. I will gladly sacrifice my life as will my sailors to see our people live as our founding fathers intended us to live, FREE from oppression, FREE from dictatorship, FREE from tyranny. Thank almighty God, yes I said God, we have a constitution that backs it up.
My closing thoughts to all the protesters, please thank every one of those same sailors and marines that you choose to offend by your action, next time you see them. I’m sure they will understand next time you call upon them to defend your right to protest.
CMDCM(AW/SW) Francis “Bags” Bagarella
Command Master Chief
VAQ-130 “Zappers”
Onboard the USS Truman
