There's No End to The Fight

Growing up in the South, the military has always been a major fixture in my life. I've grown up within two hours of two major military bases, and have known people who have served and are currently serving.Recently, a couple of close friends to me have received orders to be deployed to Afghanistan.Hearing this news from them, led to the idea for this weeks blog post.

Both of my friends who are in the armed forces are of age.They signed their name on the dotted line willing, knowing the dangers that could potentially come to them. Thousands of children in developing and conflict-ridden countries are in the same position but this time, they're not of age and  are being instructed to complete tasks that are extremely heinous.

Countries such as Yemen and Iraq have recruited young boys and girls, to take on the role as suicide bombers and lethal human weapons.But these are not the countries that I want to focus on today.There's a threat much more harmful  and unspeakable.It's name is recognizable to many countries.It name is ISIS. ISIS has recently become a main distributor and breeder of child soldiers.There was an analogy used by a NBC news journalist that really spoke to me,"instead of archery and merit badges of Cub Scouts, these boys learn how to clean, disassemble and shoot machine guns. While their peers in the U.S. build campfires, ISIS' diminutive devotees go from Quranic recitation drills to the front line of battle"(nbcnews). It's shocking, the numbers are staggering.Young boys are learning how to use AK-47's and are taught how to behead innocents, then forced to watch a beheading themselves.They're being called the new "Hitler Army". These young boys are brainwashed in order to ensure the militant group's longevity.Enlistment offices are set up in the cities and many children are dragged by their fathers who are also on the front lines, to join in on the fight.The leaders of ISIS envision a long war where eventually, these young children will become the next leaders.

Many of the boys are also drawn in by the big weapons and "cool" uniforms that the terrorists wear.They're easily drawn in to the limelight.Children are becoming executioners, shooting captives in the back of their heads in front of crowds.The Ashbal-or "Lion Cubs"-will see violence as a way of life and they seek pride in becoming jihadists.They are persuaded to carry the honor of fighting and dying all in the name of Islam.

Hundreds of youth camps are set up in these cities.There does not seem to be an end to the long fight with ISIS. Childhood is no longer a time of innocence, it's a time of destruction and hardship.To fight for one's country is one of the greatest honors in the United States.For Islamic children, it is a rite of passage.