A REAL JOB

You know, some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the uniformed services do what they do for a living. And an example of what those who have never served think of the military.

Senator Metzenbaum: "How can you run for Senate? You've never had a real job!"

Senator Glenn: "I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by antiaircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook; it was my life on the line. It was not a 9 to 5 job where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with me....as I went the other day...to a Veterans Hospital and look at those men with their mangled bodies in the eye and tell them they didn't hold a job. You go with me to the space program and go with me, as I have gone, to the widows and orphans of Ed White and Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their dad didn't hold a job. You go with me on Memorial Day coming up, and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends than I'd like to remember and you watch those waving flags, and you stand there and you think about this nation, and you tell me that those people didn't have a job. I'll tell you Howard Metzenbaum; you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that there were some men - SOME MEN - who held a job. And, they required a dedication to purpose and a love of country and a dedication to duty that was more important than life itself. And, their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible. I HAVE HELD A JOB, HOWARD! What about you?"