American Territory

With my AM radio still on the blitz due to the repair being a low priority, I have been obtaining my morning new stories from NPR, listening with a scrutinous ear. This morning, a featured story was on a Puerto Rican town who has lost three hometown service members to the Iraq War. The particular slant on this story had to do with the fact that Puerto Ricans can sign up for military duty but cannot vote for president, nor do they have representation in Congress.

While I am sympathetic to those who lost family members, regardless of the reason, I cannot be sympathetic to the fact that they do not vote for president or have representation in Congress. First of all, Puerto Rico is not a state, but a territory. Territories are not on par with states when it comes to representation in Congress. This is a well established fact that should not be changed for any reason. If Puerto Rico wishes, they can petition for statehood, just like every state has since the original 13 colonies were established as states in the union.

Second of all, and this is the major thing for me, is that individuals who sign up for military service know the risks. The purpose of the military is to establish defense and to participate in armed conflicts that are found by Congress to be pertitent enough to American interests to declare war. The inherent risks involved in military service is injury or death.

And so Puerto Ricans who volunteer for military service have no illusions that they are exempt from risk. Unfortunately for the Puerto Ricans whose relatives have been killed in action, they paid the ultimate price for their committment.

These volunteers knew that they could be killed or maimed in an armed conflict, and yet they still volunteered even though they also knew that they could not vote for president and had no representation in Congress.

The relationship of the United States with its territories is a symbiotic relationship. Although the slant of this piece this morning was that the U.S. military rapes and pillages the Puerto Rican people for their young men to serve, as if they had no choice, the fact of the matter is that Puerto Rico benefits from being a U.S. territory.

Puerto Rico itself has the backing of the full U.S. military for its protection, and this was the flip side of the story that was conveniently left out. The citizens of Puerto Rico who sign up for military service may have the opportunity of protecting their island home one day, just as much as they have the opportunity to fight on foreign soil under the command of a president that they do not elect.

Any life lost in battle is worthy of grief. Every man is someone's child, father, or husband. And in an all-volunteer army, all serve willingly despite the risks. Even if they are citizens of U.S. territories.