Read on Twitter
With today’s news, I feel like sharing a story on #RushLimbaugh.
Growing up, I never consumed much political news, until high school after 9/11. I obviously started paying attention much more as I decided to join the military after graduation... (story time)
Growing up, I never consumed much political news, until high school after 9/11. I obviously started paying attention much more as I decided to join the military after graduation... (story time)
I knew I was a Republican, but it was during this time I really developed my principles on WHY I was a conservative and a Republican.
In the Army, I traveled around Texas a lot while I was stationed there, and would often switch to AM radio during the day...
In the Army, I traveled around Texas a lot while I was stationed there, and would often switch to AM radio during the day...
If Rush was on, I’d listen. His programs (at least back then) always made me think about the principles behind conservatism...
When I deployed to Iraq at the end of 2007, podcasts were just starting to become a thing. I remember hearing a promotion Rush was doing for overseas service members, where if I signed up, I’d get a free subscription to his podcast. So I did...
I spent all of 2008 in and around Baghdad where my recon platoon performed hundreds of time-sensitive, combat raids to capture or kill high-value targets. Sleep was scarce. Stress was high. Adrenaline was always going...
When we would return to our little FOB (forward operating base) just outside of Baghdad, usually after the sun had already come up, I would often plug-in my bulky original iPod to my flimsy laptop computer to download the latest podcast with our crappy Internet service...
Listening to his podcast often throughout that year gave me a little sense of normalcy and a taste of what was going on at home. I didn’t have TV, but I had radio. Rush was radio.
But that’s not all. By signing up for his subscription and submitting my APO, I didn’t realize he and his organization would send things as well. But they did. All sorts of care packages. Simple things. Food. Candy. Snacks. Drink mixes. Nothing too outlandish...
But they came. And they came often. After my parents, I probably received more care packages from Rush Limbaugh and his organization than anyone else, during my time in Iraq. it was just a simple gesture that meant a lot to kids like me, in hell, on the other side of the world...
It was nothing major, but it was very noticeable. They realized these care packages weren’t just going to a single soldier. They would be shared. There was often a ton of stuff in them. It was just something his company did. And something he cared about...
When I left active duty, I started working in Republican politics. Im still involved. And even though I only occasionally listened to Limbaughs program in the last decade, and Id argue he strayed from some of those conservative principles at times, his influence was still there..
I’m not here to defend everything he ever said. And I don’t care what other people think. I’m just sharing my story. He was the titan of AM radio, who helped spread conservatism to multiple generations. Whether some thought it was for just entertainment, it didn’t matter...
But I know he loved this country and he loved our troops. It’s something I experienced firsthand. And I will always be grateful. Farewell Rush Limbaugh. Rest In Peace. And thank you.
