tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post318094698168102597..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: Veteran’s Day 2013Jim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-90110044512414317912013-12-21T19:54:05.759-06:002013-12-21T19:54:05.759-06:00Thanks for the comments. I thought I was the only ...Thanks for the comments. I thought I was the only one who thought of all the veterans every day. I was in during Viet Nam, and although my orders were changed from Saigon to northern Virginia most of my classmates from Ft Benning went over. When things started getting messy in the Middle East, I recalled the at home treatment of service members in that anti-military time. Although the attitudes are different, the sacrifices of the service members are the same. I started to wear my dog tags again to remind me every morning there are soldiers, sailors, and airmen ( of both sexes) putting their lives on line so that I may enjoy the safety and liberties of being a US citizen. My life was never on the line, but I still feel bonded to all our service members, past and present. Thanks again for putting into eloquent words my feelings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-84909667962389223082013-11-20T16:54:47.788-06:002013-11-20T16:54:47.788-06:00"I’m not a particularly reflective kind of gu..."I’m not a particularly reflective kind of guy."<br /><br />We can fix that! http://amzn.to/I5ubBu<br /><br />Seriously, though..Good post. I think my husband has a hard time accepting thanks for his 20+ years of service because it often comes across as hero worship. He'd be happy if the Right would just stop trying to water down his pension and benefits and demand that the Federal government stick by the agreements they made when he retired.OQnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-66729617308770450832013-11-20T16:48:14.273-06:002013-11-20T16:48:14.273-06:00"Here" as in "Arlington Cemetery.&q..."Here" as in "Arlington Cemetery." Jeez.OQnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-15732798465886693112013-11-18T15:48:35.853-06:002013-11-18T15:48:35.853-06:00With respect to both the current post and "Am...With respect to both the current post and "America: Land That I Love,"<br />Bravo Zulu, WarrantAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-47180158242982036802013-11-18T13:41:03.481-06:002013-11-18T13:41:03.481-06:00Just finished Andrew Bacevich's "Breach o...Just finished Andrew Bacevich's "Breach of Trust" -- wonderful argument for a return to reason from the all-volunteer military. bearsensehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12000858896207125033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-14477967584980109572013-11-17T13:40:03.625-06:002013-11-17T13:40:03.625-06:00Thank you.
..and thanks for the link-back to your...Thank you.<br /><br />..and thanks for the link-back to your "America" set<br />--I just recently started reading your blog--Obviously I have a lot of catching up to do!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-1446647345295773002013-11-17T09:01:37.659-06:002013-11-17T09:01:37.659-06:00Thank you Jim and Semper Fi to all my fellow veter...Thank you Jim and Semper Fi to all my fellow veterans. (Even you Air Force guys.) And to the folks who have not served, you have my respect and devotion as well. We are all Americans no matter the trajectory our lives take. Whether we are at the pointy end of combat or the watches of the night, our duty and purpose of action distills down to service to country, home and family. <br /><br />I recommend everyone stake out an hour and watch "War Letters" from the PBS.org American Experience series. These correspondence between soldiers and family reveal the range of military experience, from the regularity of day-to-day soldiering to the laconic acceptance or rigid fear of combat and separation from home. And what the soldiers and sailors on the front truly think about the circumstances and reasons for war. Regards - Tommy DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-28875433860304015832013-11-13T22:28:48.149-06:002013-11-13T22:28:48.149-06:00Jim,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for highly mo...Jim,<br />Thank you, thank you, thank you for highly moderating your blog. I've dropped many a blog because the "haters" have taken over and run off all of the others posters. It is refreshing to come here and read good stories with good comments!!<br /><br />As a mother of two who were in the military - I not only thank all you soldiers, sailors, marines, air force, for your service to this country but more personally, for having the back of my two children while they were overseas.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-24326922125732647372013-11-13T21:26:40.861-06:002013-11-13T21:26:40.861-06:00Mr Wright, you have become my oasis of reason and ...Mr Wright, you have become my oasis of reason and good writing in the dessert of radical conservatism, libertarianism. On a daily basis I am forced to listen to "frothy fanaticism" all under the guise of religion and patriotic duty. In my humble opinion, Mr. Karl Rove ruined the meaning of patriotism and now it's just another code for them vs us. I am privileged to be the wife, the sister, the daughter, the granddaughter, the niece and the cousin of men who served their country and believed in duty, honor, courage. Growing up I thought that everybody was like that. Kathleen Harris-FioritoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-14613379306889769122013-11-13T13:30:49.764-06:002013-11-13T13:30:49.764-06:00I usually just sit around on Veteran's Day Wee...I usually just sit around on Veteran's Day Weekend watching some of the great old movies that they are playing on TV, but this year I am proud to say I am helping out a friend, an old USMC veteran who has been writing his memoirs of his days in the service. It's a project that he has wanted to do for a long time in order that his children,grandchildren, and even their children will have something from him other than a few old, grainy pictures like the ones that were left for him by his dad. All he knows about his own father's experiences are trapped somewhere in those few pictures he has left and he wanted to leave more than that for his future generations.<br /><br />I think it's a great idea that all veterans might think about doing for their own families. You don't need to be a great writer, just tell it as you remember things and you will find that "your own true voice" will make it a treasured remembrance for them.Bill Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11324284824092325627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-87757758139913051152013-11-13T12:49:00.113-06:002013-11-13T12:49:00.113-06:00We Vets here in Minnesota appreciate your fine wri...We Vets here in Minnesota appreciate your fine writing and your sincere sentiments. <br /><br />Thanks <br /><br />Ken Larson Ken Larsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10111724004814978611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-60180083333113918572013-11-13T11:12:06.709-06:002013-11-13T11:12:06.709-06:00My father served in the special forces in Korea. ...My father served in the special forces in Korea. A brother and a sister-in-law served in the Navy. I have the utmost respect for those who have served, voluntarily or not (hat tip to the Native Alaskan Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans I call friends). <br /><br />However, I do have a HUGE problem with those who make lip service to Veterans and the Military. They wave flags, wear flag pins, put on the bumper stickers and shout patriotic slogans and songs. But they have absolutely no clue what military service is, how it effects your life and those around you forever. Most of these people never served, or would never willing serve. And they sure don't seem to be worried about taking care of our service people after they have returned home.<br /><br />Like the knee jerk "Merry Christmas" spoken by the clerk behind the counter, I get the same awkward, distasteful feeling when I hear the words "Thank you for your service" given by rote to the service member they have just come across. Many times I feel like saying instead "I'm sorry for the sacrifices that you have had to make on our, and our Country's, behalf. I will do everything in my power to ensure that you receive the respect and benefits that are your just due for your service"<br /><br />hedgewytchnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-44384637390830971892013-11-13T07:43:25.125-06:002013-11-13T07:43:25.125-06:00Thanks Jim. You do a good job of telling the meani...Thanks Jim. You do a good job of telling the meaning of Veterans' Day in its entirety, with all its complicated parts. I am thankful for you and for your words, and for all the Veterans out there.Matt Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18208851927934780802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-2043531554827449292013-11-12T17:34:34.140-06:002013-11-12T17:34:34.140-06:00Crap. Meant to add the closing section to it. I...Crap. Meant to add the closing section to it. I'm editing for context. <br /><br />"And I warn you all now, as my own Academy mentor warned me, that even if you think you understand exactly what I'm telling you, you'll discover in the event you weren't really prepared for the guilt. You can't be, not until it's your turn to shoulder it. But that will be the third thing that supports you in battle, Ladies and Gentlemen: the knowledge that your people will die uselessly if you screw up. It's not your job to keep them alive at all costs. It's your job to be certain they don't die for nothing. You owe them that, and they expect it of you, and that need to keep the faith with your people is what will keep your brain working and the orders coming even while the enemy blows your ship apart around you. And if you don't believe it will, then the bridge of a ship is not the proper place for you."<br /><br />Magister Calverthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07419280590588842652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-37909766821540963092013-11-12T17:29:45.700-06:002013-11-12T17:29:45.700-06:00Thank You both for your kind wordsThank You both for your kind wordsDeborah Evansnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-21592393237169123392013-11-12T17:05:57.486-06:002013-11-12T17:05:57.486-06:00There is a wonderful quote from a fiction novel wr...There is a wonderful quote from a fiction novel written by David Weber that addresses this. Although I don't believe Weber ever served, I think he put the idea better than anyone else ever has. <br /><br />"But you must have faith in yourself, Ladies and Gentlemen, because there will be no one else. You will be it. Your ship, your people, will live or die on the basis of your judgments and your decisions, and even if you get it all absolutely right, some of them will die anyway. Accept that now, because it will happen. The enemy wants to live as badly as you do, and like you, the way for her to do that is to kill the ones trying to kill her. Which will be you, Ladies and Gentlemen. You and the people under your command. And I can assure you that there will be nights your dead will haunt you. When you ask yourselves if you could have saved a few more lives if you'd only been faster, or smarter, or more alert. Sometimes the answer will be yes, that you could have saved them. But you didn't. You did your best, and you did your job, and so did they, but they're still dead, and whatever the rest of the universe thinks, you will go to your own grave convinced you ought to have done better, should have found the way to keep them alive. Worse, you'll think back to what happened, replay it in your head over and over, with the invaluable benefits of hindsight and all the time in the world to think about the decisions you had only minutes to make at the time, and you'll see exactly where you screwed up and let your people die. Accept that now. Accept it...or find another line of work."<br /><br />Rich Goranson<br />SGT, US Army (1981-1990)Magister Calverthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07419280590588842652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61326859808083369762013-11-12T14:24:55.677-06:002013-11-12T14:24:55.677-06:00LT. Do not beat yourself up. Only the very lucky l...LT. Do not beat yourself up. Only the very lucky leaders get to bring all of their people home from bad places. If you honestly tried, worried and learned from the lessons presented to you then you were at the very least a good leader. <br />I have seen good and bad leadership. Honesty with your people and yourself, leavened with humbleness seem to be things you have found. All good. No need for further self-flagellation. You probably did better than average, on this little information I would serve with you.<br />AvH,SFC<br />US Army CJSOTF, AFGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-87003893632873003622013-11-12T14:15:44.254-06:002013-11-12T14:15:44.254-06:00Walt,
As the SFC said, you've earned the rig...Walt, <br /><br />As the SFC said, you've earned the right to take part, or not, as you will. I'd also add this: you don't acknowledge Veterans Day for yourself, but for your brothers and sisters in arms. As a citizen. Your own status is your business and yours alone. <br /><br />As to those who choose not to serve, willingly or otherwise, my opinion is in the third and final installment of the America series: <a href="http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/03/america-land-that-i-love.html" rel="nofollow">America: Land That I Love</a>. Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-69954689942081539132013-11-12T13:57:02.143-06:002013-11-12T13:57:02.143-06:00Walt,
Take part in this day as you shall. You have...Walt,<br />Take part in this day as you shall. You have earned the right to do so. This is true no matter how reluctantly you may have served. You did your time. You were in harms way or you were available to be in harms way. <br />I agree with you about those who honorably did not serve, those who took a stand and paid a price like jail. <br />I joined without compulsion, you are my brother for having worn the uniform, not how you got the uniform.<br />AvH, SFC <br />OIF 2, AFG currentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61597431085449135242013-11-12T12:52:49.168-06:002013-11-12T12:52:49.168-06:00Thanks for this post Jim and especially for recogn...Thanks for this post Jim and especially for recognizing those who “came against their will”. As a reluctant Vietnam warrior I have trouble deciding what to think about my service. When a mission is seriously flawed (as history has confirmed) those who are called to implement it are placed in an extraordinarily difficult situation. I believe that the majority of Vietnam vets were in this position. We are the ones who don’t join the VFW, don’t walk around with veterans’ caps and bumper stickers, and are hesitant to stand when there is a call to honor veterans at some public event. Vietnam is not unique in this way but it occupies a special place since it was our last full-on draftee conflict.<br />Now I will go out on a limb and start slowly sawing it off behind me. I also honor those who found a principled way to refuse service when they believed that a mission was so flawed that they could not honorably serve. I include in this category those who went to jail because of their refusal to serve and those whose faith compelled them to become conscientious objectors and to engage in some alternative service. I am not a fan of those who feigned physical or mental disability or who simply fled. <br />But whatever choice we made I hope that we can find peace with our decisions and their consequences. I especially extend this wish to fellow veterans who have never fully recovered from the physical and emotional scars of war. Peace to all of you.<br />Waltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-14326910942317600212013-11-12T09:47:02.854-06:002013-11-12T09:47:02.854-06:00Thanks for this, Jim. We all feel it, but you know...Thanks for this, Jim. We all feel it, but you know how to say it.<br /><br />-Paul Cooper, former QM3 (SS)<br />pecooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07808659105665044897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-12845397573405600422013-11-12T07:41:09.111-06:002013-11-12T07:41:09.111-06:00Something I wrote on my FB page yesterday: I wasn&...Something I wrote on my FB page yesterday: I wasn't able to serve, although I wanted to (physical issues), but my brothers and many of my friends did. While I do want to sincerely thank all those, past and present, who have served in the armed forces, I want to send just as big a thank you to the families of those service members, who have served our country just as surely as their loved ones. Their sacrifices are what made it possible for their warriors to serve and thus to protect our country and our freedoms. So, thank you so very much for all you have done, and done without.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-11525289023390754062013-11-12T01:18:24.478-06:002013-11-12T01:18:24.478-06:00So, the non-vet is questioning the vet on how a ve...So, the non-vet is questioning the vet on how a vet should properly address Veterans day? Please don't think I'm crapping on you, I just appreciate irony. As an ex-AF dweeb myself, I think happy seems appropriate enough from one vet to another, as they are both still amongst the living. It's certainly not unhappy, and doesn't negate the emotions we feel for those who did make the ultimate sacrifice.<br /><br />In any case, why do my kids get the day off of school, but I still have to drag myself to work? Grumble grumble bitch and moan...a magnificent bastard's work is apparently never done. <br /><br />But seriously, without my brothers and sisters in arms, I wouldn't have the blessings I have. A melancholy 'cheers' to you all. Past and present, living and dead. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-48942546354565839612013-11-11T22:54:36.223-06:002013-11-11T22:54:36.223-06:00So, you just had to wipe your ass on my blog and u...So, you just <i>had</i> to wipe your ass on my blog and use Veterans Day to take a poke at the Commander In Chief, did you? <br /><br />You understood absolutely nothing of what I wrote, nothing at all, did you? Some real class you've got there, Anonymous.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-10880733215641690212013-11-11T21:44:20.461-06:002013-11-11T21:44:20.461-06:00Got me a free haircut at Great Clippers and a free...Got me a free haircut at Great Clippers and a free dinner at Olive Garden... it was a good day... Buuuurp! God Bless ya swabby.... Keep floating us Marine's around and we will keep kick'in ass, while you play on your boat's. Ahoy sailor! (with a lisp) :pAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com