It's Veterans Day, 2010. How many of our WWII veterans are still alive? Not very many I'm sure. The same could be said about veterans of the Korean War. I know the WWII men & women were welcomed home with cheers by the citizens of our country. I really don't know if the same is true about our Korean vets.
I do know, however, that the Vietnam vets were treated miserably when they came home. I don't really know how the veterans of current and recent "wars" are thought of when they get back, but I'm pretty sure it's better than the ones from Vietnam.
I have friends and relatives who served our country in both war times and peaceful times. Yesterday, I wrote about being grateful for my life, and it didn't occur to me then, to add them to my list. Thank you all.
This isn't going to be a rant about how veterans of war are treated. I don't write a political blog, but I will say this...If you've never been to Washington, DC and seen Arlington Cemetery and/or the Vietnam Wall, you've missed out on a couple of powerful sights. You will surely have chills......
I just want to remind us all of the following:
"Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?" ~ Holly Near
"I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, 'Mother, what was war?' " ~ Eve Merriam
"Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both." ~ Abraham Flexner
Nice post Becky. I too am a pacifist at heart. Love your quotes.
ReplyDeleteBecky,
ReplyDeleteI do think that Veterans Day is a day to honor veterans, as you do in your brief essay, and not so much an occasion to speak out against war, as your quote sources do. This is not to say that I don't agree with them (my wife's brother was killed in Vietnam.) I expressed my own feeling on the subject in the following thought, "Man, in his sensitivity, does not give names to animals he intends to eat but goes on giving names to children he intends to send to war." That said, let us salute with deep appreciation our brave fighting men and women.
I greatly appreciate our veterans, too.
ReplyDeleteOur nation needs and will always need these courageous men and women. Of course, we all owe our patriots a debt of gratitude...in times of war and in times of peace.
May we pay that debt by being patriots ourselves!
=)
If people around the world could love and respect one another, hopefully there would be no war, but sadly, I think the makeup of man isn't suited for such a perfect relationship. I can't think of anyone that loves war, but thank God there are people willing to give their lives for peace and freedom. Sadly, this world contains too many that would love to take our freedoms from us. I pray that never happens. Char
ReplyDeleteLovely post Becky! Interesting to read about this day on so many great blogs, like yours :)
ReplyDeleteWar, bah humbug! Veterans, thank you for your scarifices. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteHi Becky - Nice post for Veteran's Day. Whenever I see a man or woman in uniform I usually shake their hand and say, "Thanks for your service," and I always mean it. My dad was in the Coast Guard, my brother the Air Force, and my dad-in-law is a retired Air Force colonel who was a flight surgeon during the Viet Nam war. Last year I was privileged to meet a WWII veteran who served as a fighter pilot during the war. God bless them all for their courage and their sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I linked to your blog for your contest in my last post. :)
Thank you all.
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Becky. Your quotes will make people stop and think.
ReplyDeleteI always feel horrible about how the Vietnam Vets were treated, too. Great quotes, Miss Becky.
ReplyDelete