Author: Dean DeChiaro
It’s difficult to remember that on days like Christmas, the 4th of July, or the most important day of them all – Super Bowl Sunday – when we’re celebrating with our loved ones next to a hearth, a grill or a television, that there are a great number of Americans who aren’t regaling in the customs that we consider to be so associated with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I know that every time any politician gives any speech, anywhere, they thank the men and woman of the armed forces abroad, but in all honesty, the appreciation of a former president with a 19% approval rating only goes so far for a war-torn, homesick soldier. This finally changed this Sunday, when we thanked our dedicated troops with more than politically-fueled words of indebtedness.
This past Sunday, as the other warriors of American culture – our valiant professional football players – clashed for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Tampa, the troops at Camp Falcon on the outskirts of Baghdad each received two beers, reportedly from Budweiser, with which they could do what they wanted as they watched the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers battle on television.
Granted, we’re not Germany, where dark beers rule, or the United Kingdom, where they’ve perfected the cider and the ale, but on Sunday, the Americans who risk their lives so the rest of us can enjoy our fine lagers, got a taste of that one thing from home they’ve been denied since being deployed. If anyone has doubts about the cultural duality of beer and football in America, they should check their citizenship status. But this nation’s pride in its armed service members is greater, by far, than its pride in its beers or its football teams.
It may seem crude, but I don’t think that it would be untrue to say that sending 9,000 cases of Budweiser to the Iraqi desert is the best measure of our appreciation in the war thus far. At every sports event, we have a moment of silence for service members who have died, and at every political rally, the speakers ask the audience to thank our troops. I’m sure that the troops appreciate that, and we as good Americans are expected to adhere to the basic manners of saluting our protectors. However, when have we or the government ever done anything to truly show gratitude to the troops for their sacrifices?
Throughout American history, basic bar etiquette entails the rule that if you encounter a veteran or a service member, you buy him or her a beer. Though it may seem unethical to serve beer to troops that are actually on duty, with the exception of a visit from their family (which is a long shot in a war zone), is there really any better way to support our troops than by giving them two Budweisers and letting them watch the most coveted contest in our culture: the Super Bowl?
We as a country are finally thanking our troops in a fitting manner. Any nation could salute their troops with a flag and a song, but only America can express gratitude to our troops with two beers and a football game. Enjoy the game, guys. And thanks.
Dean DeChiaro is a senior History major. He can be reached at DeChiaro@oxy.edu.
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