I went out of town a few weeks ago and, while I was vacationing, I went to a Starbucks coffee shop. The barista who helped me was retired from one of the branches of the armed forces. She was talking to a customer in front of me and telling him about her son, who has a rare disease that is very costly to try and treat. The man asked her why she retired at such a young age, as she was fully capable of still serving. She then replied that she gets paid more as the manager of that Starbucks than she did in a major role in the military. She is married and her husband is also in the armed forces, but he stayed because he was trying to move up to a higher ranking. She said that she needed a higher paying job, so her family could make enough money to support her son’s medical problems.
I was dumbfounded to hear this. A couple in the armed forces couldn’t afford their child's medical bills because the government doesn't pay them enough? Something is wrong there.
On Super Bowl Sunday, a friend informed me that Peyton Manning signed a contract that guaranteed him two million dollars, just for winning.
Again, I was dumbfounded and the first thing I thought was, what could the woman from Starbucks do with all of that money? She could heal her son or, at least, somewhat improve his health. She wouldn’t have to work 30 hours a week, just to maintain a steady income to put towards her child's illness.
Why do professional football players get paid enough to retire and live adventurous lives while the people who protect both us and our country don’t get paid enough to support their families’ medical needs?
This is not right and, quite frankly, ridiculous. Congratulations, Mr. Football Player, you’ve been blessed with talent worth one million dollars. However, you, Mrs. Army Woman, you get a salary insufficient for supporting your family because all you do is protect Americans every day.
My reflection on this is that people enjoy football and sports in general, so they are willing to pay for it. Society supports it every day— there’s always a game on that people are willing to work around. Yet, no one wants to think about the men and women out in the world, laying down their lives for us here at home. Why?
The people who are supporting us are dying— not everyone, but many. No one wants to think about the negatives of working for the government in protecting our country. People aren’t interested in this and, yet, they “support our troops” on the days that our country deems it traditional.
The thought of another American out in the world, supporting us here at home, should cross our minds every day, if not multiple times a day— definitely more often than the thought of how well a football player is going to play in tonight’s game. Granted, there are some wonderful athletes, who donate their money and support, and we should be thankful for them as well.
I just think that there is a difference between donating money and laying down your own life for someone else’s.
