Veterans Day, 2013

[ezdays]

Today is Veterans Day. Lots of parades, flag waving, races and prayer services thought the country in honor of those that have given all they can to defend freedom and to keep us safe from aggression. My wife lost a brother back during the Korean War. She wrote this poem a while back as a preface to her book. I know I've posted this before, but I just thought it would be fitting to post it again today so that we may reflect on just who we are honoring today. There were wars before the Korean "conflict" and several since then. Unfortunately, I think it's safe to say that there will be others to come. We all need to ask ourselves "why?"... Is all this really necessary and at what price? How many more brothers will we lose or become casualties before we realize that it's a losing proposition on all sides?

We salute all that have served throughout the years.

   

[yellowlynn]

So sad, but so beautiful. Truly great.

Lynn USAF (ret)

[MasonJar]

We have Remembrance Day in Canada. I spent the afternoon at the War Musuem learning more and talking with some vets of the various wars and conflicts. One woman in uniform had some photos on a table, obviously not part of the regular display.

She went on to explain that they belonged to (I can't remember his name) and were taken in Afganistan. They showed various scenes, including one with his unit, but others about life in rural Afganistan and so on. As she went on, I came to realize that she was talking about her husband. He was injured in his last tour by an IED, and eventually succumbed to complications from his injuries two years after coming home. I had a hard time keeping myself together at that point.

Very human, very real story. Everyone of our vets has a story like this.

Lest we forget...

Andrew

[Sumpter250]

I was just recently in a conversation, where I had to re-aawaken memories of what M.I.A. truly means.

For those who have, for whatever reason, never spoken the oath of enlistment in the armed forces of the United States of America, this is it:
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
This is why we serve, this is what we swear to protect, and defend.
The memories I spoke of are about those who lie today where they fell in battle, or are still prisoners, or for whatever reason, are still among the missing.
It is the ones who still lie where the fell in battle that I wish to honor here, now.
It is the ones whose families never had the chance to "funeral" their loved one. Who never got to place a head stone on a grave, or even have a grave they can visit.
Who to this day, still do not know if their loved one is truly dead, or still being held captive by some uncaring government.
Today, then, I choose to honor all those who are still M.I.A. I have never met you, or known you, but today I honor you, and your courage in keeping the Oath you took, those long years ago.
I salute you.
CPO USN Ret. 1961-1983

[Tyson Rayles]

Due to man's nature I feel we will always be in a never ending cycle of war. I pray I'm wrong.

[ezdays]

Due to man's nature I feel we will always be in a never ending cycle of war. I pray I'm wrong.

Unfortunately, you are probably right. From the earliest men throwing rocks at each other, to throwing spears, then arrows leading up to today's weapons of mass destruction we should learn that it doesn't work for very long. As a result, we have to invent bigger and more powerful weapons to help destroy others or to protect ourselves from those that would.

I am a veteran, but I don't think I should be in the same category as those that made the ultimate sacrifice or came back with injuries that they will carry for the rest of their lives. In four years of service, the worse injury that I suffered was being burned by a soldering iron. But then again, we didn't have anyone shooting at us or planting bombs to harm us out in the Yuma desert where I spent most of those years. There was little risk where I served, unlike some others.

Yes, my hat goes off to those real veterans, not only on Veterans Day, but all year long.

[Brakie]

I am a veteran, but I don't think I should be in the same category as those that made the ultimate sacrifice or came back with injuries that they will carry for the rest of their lives.
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There's lots of physical injuries for sure but, the worst comes at night and not much can be done to heal it and it can't be stopped..