A reader writes:
I agree the video was touching and powerful, but I could not shake the feeling that I should not be seeing it. It was so intimate, so personal – as to be invasive.
I have not read or seen anything that indicates whether the young man's father consented. The father acted admirably, but I'm left thinking the son acted selfishly in taping and sharing it. I didn't see or hear the young man say, "Dad, I've got you on speaker and I plan to post this on YouTube. I hope you don't mind this deeply personal conversation we are having being shared with strangers."
It's a great story. I just don't think we should have seen it.
Dan Savage, with similar sentiments, points to a report:
As for [Randy] Phillips' father, he told ABC News that he was not exactly thrilled that his son put the clip on YouTube—but reiterated once again that he loves his son, and always will.
Another reader:
What struck my husband (who is ex-military) was the way he addresses his father: "Sir" then "Daddy". Back and forth, just like you note his head was going back and forth. And while it is very common in the south for grown men to still call their parents Mommy and Daddy (I have 60 year old uncles who say it and it's perfectly natural) there is something especially heartbreaking about it here. My husband noted the soldier addressing what is clearly his number one and most respected authority figure "sir" and then the scared little boy in him reaching out to "Daddy". My husband wanted to pat him on the back and bolster him. I wanted to hug him tight.
Another notes:
The great American patriot on YouTube, AreYouSuprised, is in the Air Force. In an earlier video, he wears the Air Combat Uniform. He is not a Soldier [=Army]. He is an Airman [=Air Force]. "Servicemember" is an inclusive term you might want to use. Anyway, thanks for some great blogging regaring the End of DADT.
The Dish 