Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General Is it too soon to be talking 2020?

So be it. But I'm comfortable with my failure for whatever reason. I still can't see or understand why civilians have this fixation on race. Why race is so absolutely important to them. It seems we military folks have put all that race stuff behind us. Civilians keep it front and centered.

Besides job related, you ever walk into a PX or Commissary. You'd be surprised to see all the interracial marriages, all the mixed kids. we're basically one huge family taking care of each other regardless of race or religion. You're fixation on race fascinates me. I don't really understand it, but at the same time am fascinated.

I do think the military has pretty much attained a colorblind organization with a few exceptions here and there. I don't think that is possible in the civilian world as long a color, race takes such a high precedence and so much importance is attached to the color of one's skin.

From this little exchange, I see it is very important to you whether one is black, white, brown, yellow whereas to me all of that is irrelevant. I'd say to most military folks it is irrelevant, it's how each individual does his/her job, the trust in each other, relying on each other, helping each other out, being a member of the team and accomplishing the mission.

I do think civilians pay way too much attention to the outward appearance instead of the inner character and perhaps reliability of a person. In Vietnam and in Laos, my life was in the hands of other soldiers of all races, religion and in the hands of the Lao and Vietnamese army and their lives in my hands.

Later in other places throughout the world, Afghanistan and Iraq being the most recent, their lives regardless of race was in a way still in my hands for the support I and others provided as Department of the Army civilians. We never asked what race they were or whether they were Afghani or Iraqi. Civilians are crazy when it comes to race, utterly crazy.