It is important to offer honest praise for vitally important virtue. Is that what you hear in the standard speeches on Veterans' Day? I think you just hear empty and perfunctory slogans.
Pacifists and warmongers are fools. I assert that nothing is more important than defending your home against an outside invader. (Perhaps 'sacred' is a better choice than 'important.')
And think of the sacrifices soldiers make, when they do so! It goes a lot further than the chance of being injured or killed. What will they do for a living when it's over? What happens to their homes, farms, or financial savings? Will they get halfway decent medical care when the killing is over? How many years will their children's education be blocked? The same issues arise for the people that the soldier knows and cares about. What if the entire social and economic fabric of their country is torn up?
So many soldiers have made that sacrifice. If public speakers really meant what they say about 'honoring the troops', they would acknowledge that 90% of the honor should go to soldiers who fought the US military -- at least since World War II.
The last 10% of the honor should go to US soldiers, not for what they actually did, but for what they thought they were doing.
Pacifists and warmongers are fools. I assert that nothing is more important than defending your home against an outside invader. (Perhaps 'sacred' is a better choice than 'important.')
And think of the sacrifices soldiers make, when they do so! It goes a lot further than the chance of being injured or killed. What will they do for a living when it's over? What happens to their homes, farms, or financial savings? Will they get halfway decent medical care when the killing is over? How many years will their children's education be blocked? The same issues arise for the people that the soldier knows and cares about. What if the entire social and economic fabric of their country is torn up?
So many soldiers have made that sacrifice. If public speakers really meant what they say about 'honoring the troops', they would acknowledge that 90% of the honor should go to soldiers who fought the US military -- at least since World War II.
The last 10% of the honor should go to US soldiers, not for what they actually did, but for what they thought they were doing.
Comments
I'm out of here Boonie.
1. "lost some friends in the Army..." Well sure, but the guys you were fighting lost more -- probably had a higher casualty rate.
2. "serving this country..." Sure, you THOUGHT you were serving America. That's what they told you. You were ACTUALLY serving the foreign policy elite and American presidents who wanted to look tough and get reelected.
3. "me me me lives..." Yes, Americans are self-centered, but the worst case of that is the War Industries and congress-members who are protecting spending in their districts.
4. I am sorry that you took offense at my post. It's intent was to slam Washington DC -- not you. At any rate, I am honored that you would take the time to disagree with my post, instead of just walking off in a silent sneer.
On Veterans' Day I stopped in at Walmart. By the door they had a table, with some rather lame cupcakes laid out. The gooey frosting was red, white, and blue. A sign said, "For Veterans only."
Perhaps you would have been happier if my Veterans' Day post had been a standard rhetorical cupcake?
I revisited Vietnam in 2000 on a bicycle tour that was led by Vietnamese veterans. These were not ARVN veterans but were Viet Cong and NVA. They were given subsidies to open the tour business because they were veterans from the winning side. I was treated with more respect by them for being a veteran that fought against them than I have received from many Americans.
I thought you were slamming Washington, as does Fred Reed who was partially blinded in the Vietnam War, it is too bad that Wayne (Wirs) did not understand that.
I took your post to mean that you admired the quality of protecting one's own family and lands against those who would invade and suffer the consequences of that invasion. However, those who rule are only human and are subject to over-reacting and becoming over zealous in regard to protecting the homeland. This leads to us becoming that which we have hated in others. In other words, we become the invaders ourselves.
I believe that's what you meant and I agree with that sentiment. Might have been over the top though....your 90/10 % figure at the end. Would have avoided attaching numbers to the issue.
George
Chris