Freedom Remember who has paid the price, then & now

[Oss]

[laserpat]

God bless the people who keep us free and safe.

[Lil D]

ditto

[bigvalkriefan]

AMEN! 

[solo1]

Bless the men and women of the Armed Services for keeping us free.   

Now if we could only instill the same attitude in our politicians.

Everyone, have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Solo1

[The Anvil]

Do eagles even have tearducts?

[eric in md]

amen  brothers & sisters

[Valker]

Only copied and pasted by me:

A Thank You to all Vietnam Vets from a Marine in Iraq

A guy gets time to think over here and I was thinking about all the support we get from home. Sometimes it's overwhelming. We get care packages at times faster than we can use them. There are boxes and boxes of toiletries and snacks lining the center of every tent; the generosity has been amazing. So, I was pondering the question: "Why do we have so much support?"

In my opinion, it all came down to one thing: Vietnam Veterans. I think we learned a lesson, as a nation, that no matter what, you have to support the troops who are on the line, who are risking everything. We treated them so poorly back then. When they returned was even worse. The stories are nightmarish of what our returning warriors were subjected to. It is a national scar, a blemish on our country, an embarrassment to all of us.

After Vietnam , it had time to sink in. The guilt in our collective consciousness grew. It shamed us. However, we learned from our mistake. Somewhere during the late 1970's and on into the 80's, we realized that we can't treat our warriors that way. So ... starting during the Gulf War, when the first real opportunity arose to stand up and support the troops, we did. We did it to support our friends and family going off to war. But we also did it to right the wrongs from the Vietnam era. We treat our troops of today like the heroes they were, and are, acknowledge and celebrate their sacrifice, and rejoice at their homecoming ... instead of spitting on them.

And that support continues today for those of us in Iraq . Our country knows that it must support us and it does. The lesson was learned in Vietnam and we are all better because of it.

Everyone who has gone before is a hero. They are celebrated in my heart. I think admirably of all those who have gone before me. From those who fought to establish this country in the late 1770's to those I serve with here in Iraq . They have all sacrificed to ensure our freedom. But when I get back home, I'm going to make it a personal mission to specifically thank every Vietnam Vet I encounter for THEIR sacrifice. Because if nothing else good came from that terrible war, one thing did. It was the lesson learned on how we treat our warriors. We as a country learned from our mistake and now we treat our warriors as heroes, as we should have all along. I am the beneficiary of their sacrifice. Not only for the freedom they, like veterans from other wars, ensured, but for how well our country now treats my fellow Marines and I. We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice.

Semper Fidelis,

Major Brian P. Bresnahan
United States Marine Corps

[The Anvil]

In my opinion, it all came down to one thing: Vietnam Veterans. I think we learned a lesson, as a nation, that no matter what, you have to support the troops who are on the line, who are risking everything. We treated them so poorly back then. When they returned was even worse. The stories are nightmarish of what our returning warriors were subjected to. It is a national scar, a blemish on our country, an embarrassment to all of us.

All true and well said. However...

Let's make sure that "support" extends further than just verbal support and a Chinese made yellow ribbon magnet on our cars. It's very nice that they are thanked in airports and shown so much respect and adoration (all of which earned) while in parades. But that support also means not denying them the physical and mental health coverage that they need and not warehousing the wounded in fetid VA hospitals in deplorable conditions away from the public eye. It means not nickel and diming them on the prosthetics they need to live normal lives. It means making sure they're remembered when the expense of war is paid for and no longer in the news, because they don't have the luxury of forgetting like we do.

[f6gal]

Do eagles even have tearducts?

If you insist on focusing on the actual, rather than the symbolic, the real question is do eagles cry?  Which, of course, they do not.  Emotions are a purely human experience... you should try it sometime.

BTW, eagles have lubricating ducts that are equivalent to our tear ducts; their pupose is to wash away irritants (fill in the obvious zinger here  ).

[Oss]

Anvil  

You are a difficult fellow to get  Maybe that comes from all the banging you get as an anvil

 just when I am about to post what f6gal did you come along and mirror my own opinion about treating vets properly

so lets just hope you (and I) practice what we preach

Thank you Valker for posting the major's letter   I would only add that it started before Vietnam as the Korean Vets didnt get such great respect and IMHO that started the slippery slope towards how we as a country let our vets down in the 60s and 70s

By the way we do have eagles flying around these parts. They, along with falcons, turkey vultures and other raptors can be found nesting and soaring 10 minutes up river from me on both sides of the Hudson near Bear Mountain.  Often while riding the goat trail a bird of prey will float by on a thermal  so close you could take a pic like the 1st one

[The Anvil]

Anvil 

You are a difficult fellow to get  Maybe that comes from all the banging you get as an anvil

 just when I am about to post what f6gal did you come along and mirror my own opinion about treating vets properly

so lets just hope you (and I) practice what we preach

Thank you Valker for posting the major's letter   I would only add that it started before Vietnam as the Korean Vets didnt get such great respect and IMHO that started the slippery slope towards how we as a country let our vets down in the 60s and 70s

I might have come off as flip, but I was genuinely curious. It was a random thought that came into my head as I was forming the other one. 

[f6gal]

Only copied and pasted by me:

Semper Fidelis,

Major Brian P. Bresnahan
United States Marine Corps

Kudos to Major Bresnanhan; very observant for a man too young to have witnessed the shameful actions.  

However... not everyone, hell not even the majority, participated in the horrendous treatment of returning Vietnam vets. Personally, I think our collective shame is not standing up to the vocal fringe protestors who did.  
Perhaps as these protestors matured, they realized their anger and frustration was misdirected at the troops.  But somehow I doubt that they are the ones sending care packages and vocally suporting our troops.  Rather, I believe it's those who felt shame and disgust at the treatment at the time, but stood by silently... as well as a lot of young people who are caught up in our zelous compensation (that's a good thing).

[The Anvil]

Only copied and pasted by me:

Semper Fidelis,

Major Brian P. Bresnahan
United States Marine Corps

Kudos to Major Bresnanhan; very observant for a man too young to have witnessed the shameful actions.  

However... not everyone, hell not even the majority, participated in the horrendous treatment of returning Vietnam vets.  Personally, I think our collective shame is not standing up to the vocal fringe protestors who did.  
Perhaps as these protestors matured, they realized their anger and frustration was misdirected at the troops.  But somehow I doubt that they are the ones sending care packages and vocally suporting our troops.  Rather, I believe it's those who felt shame and disgust at the treatment at the time, but stood by silently... as well as a lot of young people who are caught up in our zelous compensation (that's a good thing).

OTOH, not everyone who protested America's involvement in Vietnam focused their frustration at the troops. But the government sure tried to make it seem that way.

[f6gal]

Kudos to Major Bresnanhan; very observant for a man too young to have witnessed the shameful actions.  

However... not everyone, hell not even the majority, participated in the horrendous treatment of returning Vietnam vets.  Personally, I think our collective shame is not standing up to the vocal fringe protestors who did.  
Perhaps as these protestors matured, they realized their anger and frustration was misdirected at the troops.  But somehow I doubt that they are the ones sending care packages and vocally suporting our troops.  Rather, I believe it's those who felt shame and disgust at the treatment at the time, but stood by silently... as well as a lot of young people who are caught up in our zelous compensation (that's a good thing).

OTOH, not everyone who protested America's involvement in Vietnam focused their frustration at the troops.

Nor did I imply that they did... however, did they not stand by silently, as well?

But the government sure tried to make it seem that way.

Anyone with eyes could see it... without gov't steering.

[~ Timbrwolf]

. ....Happy 4th of July to ALL our friends !


....fire up the Q. ...and kick back with family n friends ! .. 

[The Anvil]

Nor did I imply that they did... however, did they not stand by silently, as well?

But the government sure tried to make it seem that way.

Anyone with eyes could see it... without gov't steering.

Some did, but not all.

Frankly I have no "shame" over it. It was a very bad time for America and actually, I wasn't even there. You can in fact draw many parallels between Vietnam and Iraq, but that's one area where I'm happy to see the mistakes taken to heart as the valuable lesson that they are. Too bad we couldn't have learned a few more from that conflict and saved a few thousand lives. Unfortunately there's a lot of money to be made from making certain mistakes.

[f6gal]

You can in fact draw many parallels between Vietnam and Iraq, but that's one area where I'm happy to see the mistakes taken to heart as the valuable lesson that they are. Too bad we couldn't have learned a few more from that conflict and saved a few thousand lives.

True enough.

I have to ask... what's up with the Danza avatar?

[BigAl]

As one veteran said on a Program Yesterday.

WWII flying Ace.

When you see a soldier, better get down on your knees and thank God for them.

Because that is the one that is going to get us through a fight or keep us free.

Never thought about it that way and he is right.

WHo else would do it or be able too?????

They are that important.

[Stormrider65]

As a veteran myself, I just want to thank all those others out there for your sacrafice so we could enjoy time with our families and friends.

Walt

[The Anvil]

I have to ask... what's up with the Danza avatar?

I take it you're not familiar with the punk band The Misfits and their lead singer Glenn Danzig who went on to form his own band "Danzig". That's Glenn Danzig's body with Tony Danza's head on it and the font is the same one used on Danzig records. I just thought it was funny.

[shortleg]

  When my father came back from Viet Nam in 1966
he changed in the airplane because of all the crap
going on at JFK airport in New York.
  Years later when thinking about this and even
now it brings tears to my eyes.
       Shortleg[Dave]