"Before God, there is neither Greek nor barbarian, neither rich nor poor, and the slave is as good as his master, for by birth all people are free; they are citizens of the universal commonwealth which embraces all the world, brethren of one family, and children of God."
Lord Acton
Memorial Day Weekend comes again, and for some it only marks the beginning of the summer season. You couldn't prove it was summer here by the temperature, but that won't stop many of us from heading to our vacation homes. I'm lucky because I live at my vacation home year round, as do most of us in Lewis County. We may not have the highest per capita income in the state, but you'll never find nicer people anywhere.
I decided to write my Memorial Day thank you early because grandchildren will be occupying much of my time over the weekend. Dominic just turned 3, so my wife and I chugged a bottle of Geritol each for breakfast this morning. Do they still make that stuff? Well, most of you understand what I'm talking about anyway.
There will also be many people throughout this county who will mark the special reason for this Memorial Day, as will millions of others across this great land. This is a special time that has no room for politics. It bears repeating that the only thing you'll see on the grave of a soldier is a cross or a Star of David. The thousands of graves that overlook the beaches of Normandy give no indication of political affiliation. I guess Lord Acton could have added: "Before God, there is neither Republican or Democrat" - at least those who believe in God.
Our current situation is different from the Vietnam period in that most Americans appreciate and respect our men and women of the Armed Forces. Back then you never would have had a photograph of a plane full of silent people who respectfully wait to deplane after the coffin of a soldier is removed. You were more likely to see returning soldiers being treated in a manner unbecoming anyone's claim to humanity. Thankfully most Americans were not like that, and even many of those that were have taken the lesson to heart.
We should be capable of waiting a few days before resuming the debate over what to do in Iraq - we owe it not only to those who are still there, or have died there, but also to the generations of Americans who have heard the call of duty and answered. If you know a veteran, thank them. In not that many years we'll start the countdown to the last surviving veteran from WWII, so there's no time like the present to say "thank you".
To my Dad, who served as a Marine in WWII and was called back up for Korea, and to my father-in-law who also served in WWII, to 3 of my Uncles - thank you for serving in WWII, and many thanks to all the men and women who gave their lives so we could live as we do today.
13 comments:
Keep in mind that for many today the term "I Support the Troops" is nothing but a Pecksniffian attempt to hide their real defeatist agenda. There are lawn signs all over Averill Park that state, "Support the Troops, Bring them Home NOW!" My son-in-law's twin brother now serving his third tour in Afgahnistan will tell you that is the new millenium equivilent of spitting on the troops.
As a marine Vietnam vet, I thank you
Don
Support the troops. Defeat the new VA Benefit Bill.
Dear Anon:
What is the primary reason the President does not support the new VA Benefit Bill? He wants more than 3 years of service in return for funding the college education of the soldier. His concerns about the cost of the bill are pointless, we owe them no matter what the cost. The concern is that more people will leave after 3 years in the service to go to college - which to me is a valid concern. If you could get funding for four years of college for three years of service, wouldn't you leave as soon as your three years were up? I would change the bill so that anyone who served in combat gets the benefits after 3 years, but if you're not in harm's way, you need four years before you can claim rights under the G.I. Bill. Let's get the politics out of this and get a bill passed that honors our committment to our brave men and women of the Armed Forces.
ok sir charles, lemme get this straight: wanting to bring the troops home is like spitting on them? really? say it out loud three times and tell me if that still sounds right to you.
Dear Anon. Do you remember what happened on April 25, 1975?
dear charles,
huh? what does that have to do with anything? (for those keeping score at home, that's the date the u.s. completed its withdrawal from vietname.) is this a deliberate non sequitur? you passed it along as hearsay before, but let me ask you directly: do you think wanting to bring the troops home is like spitting on them?
To be a bit more specific, on April 25, 1975, the Democrat controlled Congress, led by Carl Albert & Tip O'Neill, refused to honor President Nixon's pledge to come to the aid of the South Vietnamese should they be attacked by the North. That was part of the guarantee included in the Paris Peace Accords, but the Dem's of that day didn't feel it was necessary to honor our word. No money, no support, we quit, you win.
"Peace With Honor", the stated objective of the Nixon administration's effort to end the war, was forgotten. The Democrat Congress decided that "honor" was a nonessential quality, thus insuring victory by the North.
I was always taught that if you give your word to someone, you should do everything within your power to keep that word, otherwise, your reputation suffers and people will eventually stop trusting you all together.
I can't answer your "spitting on the troops" query, but I would suggest that when you fail to honor your word and see your committment through to the end, you sully the honor of your entire nation, not just the troops.
Anon., if you review my original post you will see that I was referring to signs posted all over Averill Park, NY that state, "Support the Troops, Bring Them Home NOW!"
Our churlish desertion of the South Vietnamese (see Watson's post above) led to an unprecidented massacre of South Vietnamese in the years following our defeat at the hands of American Liberals. Bring our troops home NOW!! means an immediate pull out of troops in Iraq that would not only put our troops in grave danger as they are pulled out, but would end in a bloodbath for the Iraqis. You can equivicate by saying that they really mean a graduated pull out and I will say you are wrong. If the Obama wins the White House the Democratic Congress will scram within 6 months. Yes, that is the moral equivilent of "spitting on the troops".
i'm surprised to see such high regard for our country's international obligations come out of you, watson. i bet that, right as i'm typing this, you're putting the finishing touches on a post calling for bush and cheney's prosecution for contravention of the geneva conventions.
dear charles,
sorry, i don't believe for a second that the people who put up those signs actually want an immediate (as in the dictionary definition of the word) withdrawal -- what i think they want is that the process be started immediately. i can say you're wrong and you can say i'm wrong, but short of asking the people themselves, we'll just have to agree to disagree. i find it immensely saddening that you think bringing the troops home is like spitting on them, but i appreciate your candor.
Anon., we can agree to disagree. I look forward to jousting with you many times in the future. Too bad we can't do it over some single malt.
cheers to that, charles!
Post a Comment