I might as well get this out of the way. I promised I wouldn't rant any more so I'll keep it toned down.
This Memorial Day, don't thank a veteran for his service. It's an inane and insincere thing to say. And it's all about you.
Instead, apologize. Apologize that he had to serve and you didn't. That would be honest and sincere.
I have a friend who took two in the leg for the 4th Infantry division near An Loc. It negatively affected the rest of his life. I had a brother-in-law who won the Distinguished Service Cross with the 173d Airborne near Saigon. His life became a downward spiral to an early death.
Your thanks for that kind of suffering are meaningless. Your apology might not be.
Enjoy your burgers.
"What is learned in combat is never forgotten." - Jonathan Shay, Achilles in Vietnam
Dare I say this on the occasion of Veteran's Day? On Veteran's Day those who have not seen combat should feel--as a way of knowing--intense fear, sorrow, and anger. Then they might begin to know something about what the day marks. If they were mindful of those feelings, they might be a little more thoughtful before they send other people's children and grandchildren to do their fighting for them.
ReplyDeletePeace,
Paul