Why Military Families (Mainly) Support the President

A recent poll (story / actual poll) claims that military families are more supportive of the president's actions in Iraq than the general public, while noting that that support is very weak. Read more closely, the poll counts those who have families, friends, co-workers or acquaintances who have served at any point in the Iraq adventure. This is very different than support from families that have children / spouses currently serving or scheduled to serve. Other polls indicate that actual military families are closely split. 

That military families are predisposed to support the president should not be surprising.

1. Most importantly, no parent / spouse wants to believe that their loved ones have been put in harm's way for anything less than a noble cause. People want to believe their doctors will heal them, their dentists will drill only when necessary, the police will enforce the law fairly and that our political leaders will use our armed forces wisely, effectively, efficiently and as a last resort. For those with so much at stake, doubting the president is to court despair. Might as well ask a cancer patient to believe their oncologist is a quack. 
2. Those serving in the military are often from military backgrounds. For many, their parents and grandparents served in the military. The chain of command is important to military families. They will tend to support the man at the top of the chain of command.
3. Military families tend to be from small towns and rural areas. This is especially true of the National Guard, which makes up 40% of the troops currently deployed in Iraq. Those of us from small towns tend to be conservative and vote Republican.

It is also not surprising that military families are often unwilling to go public with their dissent. There are personal costs to this route, even if attempted on a scale much smaller than Cindy Sheehan.

1. Public disagreements about supporting the president's actions can split the military family community. Make no mistake that it is a community. Families that share very little else share something profound and meaningful because their family members are in danger as a unit. This is especially the case with Guard units from smaller towns, where parents and spouses may already know each other. Guard units are also far from military bases and the network of support that might exist there. No one wants to disrupt this very necessary support network.
2. There will be personal costs. Those who speak up against the present's actions may pay with their jobs (yes, this has happened). They may lose friends and break with family members. They may be the subject of hate mail and letters to the editor. These might seem like small prices to pay to those who don't have to pay them, but it is one reason that Cindy Sheehan is such a remarkable person. Speaking truth to power is right but it is not easy or without cost.
3. Many people are uncomfortable with going public on any issue. Not everyone wants to appear on the evening news or be quoted in the local newspaper. 
4. Few people trust the corporate media to present the truth. Anyone who has witnessed an event and then watched the media coverage of it knows firsthand that it is as likely to be distorted as reported accurately.
5. Going public involves constantly reopening a wound. Watching a child leave for duty in a war zone is a wound. Not in the same class as having a child killed, but a serious matter. Until your loved one is safe, it is difficult to constantly focus on their danger. 
6. Going public can have repercussions for you soldier. Imagine Cindy Sheehan had a second son who was currently serving in Iraq. What kind of pressure would be brought on him?
7. It can distract your soldier. While my sons are in Iraq, I will try to do nothing that will distract them from serving honorably and safely.