VIRUS: Yes, this is war

Recently I have come to realize that we are in a “state of war” with the Covid-19 virus. Consequently, our response, as individuals, as a community must be that of a people at war. Thousands are dying, countless thousands more are losing their jobs, their businesses, and their residences.

Specifically, I am appealing to my fellow veterans. We know how to fight a war. We know that you use all your weapons against an unrelenting enemy. Some “weapons” are more effective than others — but we don’t hesitate to use every weapon at our disposal.

In the life and death struggle against Covid-19, our weapons include handwashing, masking, social distancing and now vaccination.

For some reason that is a mystery to me, some have politicized wearing masks. Let’s face it, not everyone is going to use all the weapons available to them. Believe it or not, some people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom!

I have heard from some that they have a “right” not to wear a mask. I suppose in the strictest sense that’s true, but we have responsibility to our family, friends, coworkers and community.

As a former member of the armed forces, I voluntarily and temporarily gave up many of my rights as an American – all those who have served their country did the same. If you doubt that, think of telling your Drill Instructor you have a right to free speech. I promise you, you will only do it once and will not end well for the recruit.

We knowingly gave up some of our rights for the common good. It is now past time that we remind ourselves of our duty to our community and use all the weapons at our disposal and not politicize any one of the few weapons we have at our disposal.

Let’s use this challenge to unite our community — not tear us apart. The sooner we defeat this enemy, the sooner we can get back to normal.

BILL BROOKS

U.S. Army Veteran

Kootenai County Commissioner