The Bible and military families

I have felt since he first ran for US President that George W. Bush wears his faith on his sleeve and not in his heart. On this weekend, the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, I stumbled upon a verse in the Bible that makes me wonder if Mr. Bush has even bothered to read the Good Book lately.

This is something I wasn't expecting, when I randomly flipped through the Bible this morning. But here it is, from the 24th chapter of Deuteronomy, verse 5: "If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married." [NIV] Think about that one. For one year, an armed service person -- male or female -- would be given leave to take care of his or her spouse and presumably take that time to try to start a family. As well, they would not have to pay any taxes whatsoever.

What's happened in Iraq? Soldiers, sailors, Marines, air persons -- sent on their second, third or even fourth tours of duty. People getting into shotgun marriages just for the military benefits -- and even if the relationship is based on sincerity and not fraud families are being ripped apart. (Not to mention the IRS must still be respected. Consider, how families can possibly expect to stay together if one is redeployed over and over again.) It's becoming a problem with the Canadian military too, as some units are getting ready for or have completed a second round in Afghanistan.

There may be a so-called "War against terror" going on, and we do need our best and brightest fighting it, but the general rule should be that a deployment of a unit happens once every three to four years; and at most a tour of duty would last six months. Even if there is a shortage of available troops, there is simply no excuse to rip apart families like this. Not to mention post-traumatic distress disorder which also can lead to the break-up of marriages. Or home bound spouses who commit adultery because they just can't stand being lonely anymore.

This is yet another case of someone claiming to have family values without valuing families. Even the most conscious commander-in-chief should appreciate when his or her troops are overextended; having a depleted force invites attack. The tax policy in Canada of exempting military members and police officers from income tax during their tours of duty is a good first step; but a one year rule for new military couples would also be helpful. It's not just Biblical. It's just plain common sense.

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