Memorial Weekend = extra day to have fun, right? Sadly for many of us, that's all it is.
I admit, I've been looking forward to this weekend for a while now. An extra long weekend to grill, sleep in, head north, have fun with friends, whatever I want. It's an extra slice of heaven waiting for me on the calendar.
How easy it is to forget why it is we get that extra day off. Memorial Day is all about honoring those veterans who protected the very things we take for granted, those who paid the ultimate price and those who made it back with the physical and emotional scars.
Tonight a story on WILX helped put things back into perspective with a twist. The story was about homeless veterans here in Michigan, not only the challenges they face, but difficulties that exist for those trying to remedy the situation.
It's heartbreaking.
These men and women who give up years of their life to defend and protect the rest of us come back to society only to ill-treated, whether it be through medical care, psychological counseling, job placement, and financial assistance. It's wrong for any person, but it's only worse when it happens to any of our veterans.
The daughter of a Vietnam Veteran and granddaughter of two WWII Veterans, I've seen the pride in the eyes of a veteran to have served their country honorably, but I've also seen how combat forever affects the mind and soul. It's not uncommon for me to well up with tears at a sporting event as the National Anthem is played.
So enjoy your weekend and your extra day off. You probably deserve it. But just as with any holiday, take care to truly remember the reason behind the season. Take a moment to pause and reflect on those whose day it truly is and thank a veteran, not just on Monday, but on any day. We owe them more than we'll probably ever realize.
(Stay tuned as tomorrow I'll be featuring ways that you can help veterans locally, a story on how one veteran who wants to fight for you here in Michigan, and how our lawmakers are helping veterans all across the state.)
Showing posts with label veteran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veteran. Show all posts
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, November 12, 2007
For Our Veterans
(Originally posted 11/10/06, but after several requests from readers, I've decided to republish today.)
I always get a lump in my throat when I stand up to sing the Star Spangled Banner, but it often seems as if I'm the only one. The daughter and granddaughter of several of America's heroes, I believe that to have given all or a part of your life to our country and what it stands for is truly one of the most self-less acts, ever.
My dad is a Vietnam Veteran, and I will never know exactly what he suffered, or how wet a monsoon really is, or how terrifying the jungles appeared at night. I couldn't tell you what it's like to spend months and years knowing that it could all be over in a flash, sometimes only because you fly a different flag than the guy at the other end of the gun. I don't know what it's like to return to a country only a year or two older than when you left but be aged beyond words. But our heroes can - and those who serve even now, will return with their own age spots, both emotional and physical.
On this Veterans Day, I am sad to see how little respect our veterans have been given by the press, by our government, and by the people in general. Just with those who have lost their lives in the last 6 years, it seems as if we've swept our heroes under the rug of our daily lives. Now grown men and women have to be told to take their hat off while our anthem plays, and too many still don't know all the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm tired of patriotism being played as a campaign card when it's fashionable, and forgotten when it matters most. Our vets are our heroes, those who stand among us with scars that will always linger, and too often, those who are left behind us as we go forward. These men and women deserve so much more than the societal breadcrumbs we throw them when the media spotlight needs a new poster boy or girl.
So how do we honor our veterans and fallen heroes? I think of my dad, and my grandfathers, and I know that the greatest form of respect we can give them is to never, ever forget - what they've given, what they endure to this day, and the battle that they face even now, on our own soil, through finances, education, and health care. Perhaps we all need to stand as a state and a country, remove our hats, and swallow the collective lump that should form in all of our throats. Wipe the tear that forms in the corner of our eye, and turn to salute our veterans, our heroes. Contrary to what many may think, they are what keeps us great, not the other way around.
I always get a lump in my throat when I stand up to sing the Star Spangled Banner, but it often seems as if I'm the only one. The daughter and granddaughter of several of America's heroes, I believe that to have given all or a part of your life to our country and what it stands for is truly one of the most self-less acts, ever.
My dad is a Vietnam Veteran, and I will never know exactly what he suffered, or how wet a monsoon really is, or how terrifying the jungles appeared at night. I couldn't tell you what it's like to spend months and years knowing that it could all be over in a flash, sometimes only because you fly a different flag than the guy at the other end of the gun. I don't know what it's like to return to a country only a year or two older than when you left but be aged beyond words. But our heroes can - and those who serve even now, will return with their own age spots, both emotional and physical.
On this Veterans Day, I am sad to see how little respect our veterans have been given by the press, by our government, and by the people in general. Just with those who have lost their lives in the last 6 years, it seems as if we've swept our heroes under the rug of our daily lives. Now grown men and women have to be told to take their hat off while our anthem plays, and too many still don't know all the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm tired of patriotism being played as a campaign card when it's fashionable, and forgotten when it matters most. Our vets are our heroes, those who stand among us with scars that will always linger, and too often, those who are left behind us as we go forward. These men and women deserve so much more than the societal breadcrumbs we throw them when the media spotlight needs a new poster boy or girl.
So how do we honor our veterans and fallen heroes? I think of my dad, and my grandfathers, and I know that the greatest form of respect we can give them is to never, ever forget - what they've given, what they endure to this day, and the battle that they face even now, on our own soil, through finances, education, and health care. Perhaps we all need to stand as a state and a country, remove our hats, and swallow the collective lump that should form in all of our throats. Wipe the tear that forms in the corner of our eye, and turn to salute our veterans, our heroes. Contrary to what many may think, they are what keeps us great, not the other way around.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Reason behind the Season
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and that just with the rest of our holidays, we all remembered the reason behind it.
I've mentioned this before, but as the daughter of a Vietnam Vet, I hold a high, holy place for those who willing to sacrifice anything for our country, even when we have misguided leaders leading the way.
One of the first pieces I ever wrote was a tribute to our veterans, inspired by Veterans Day, my father, and a proud family history of serving our country. Often regarded as one of the best posts here on LLP, stop by and read For Our Veterans.
Some of you may be readers of the country's largest national liberal/progressive blog, Daily Kos. In addition to my duties here, at Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and Michigan Liberal, I also volunteer at Daily Kos as a 'Rescue Ranger', and no, it doesn't involve a chipmunk costume. I'm assigned a couple time slots each week where I pour through all of the posts, or diaries, and select some of the best written ones, where they are then highlighted at the end of the day in Diary Rescue. Since there are thousands of diaries written each day, it takes a volunteer force of about 50 of us from all over the country literally working day and night on this.
Yesterday happened to be one of my regular shifts, it was great to see how many average Americans express their joy, sorrow, anger, and frustration all through the written word. I was particularly pleased to be able to rescue A Soldier's Thoughts on Memorial Day by MichLib's own recently returned veteran from Iraq, djtyg.
DJ's even younger than I am, and he's already been to Gitmo, Iraq and Afghanistan, and carries some painful scars. We're grateful to have him back, but now as a Reservist, he's facing too many uphill battles for a job, funding for education, and proper health and career services. I keep him in mind constantly when doing what I can to speak up on better treatment of the military.
There were several other posts that really touched me, and I wanted to share them with you, as they were written to be read, and I hope that you'll also pass them along.
Namaste
I've mentioned this before, but as the daughter of a Vietnam Vet, I hold a high, holy place for those who willing to sacrifice anything for our country, even when we have misguided leaders leading the way.
One of the first pieces I ever wrote was a tribute to our veterans, inspired by Veterans Day, my father, and a proud family history of serving our country. Often regarded as one of the best posts here on LLP, stop by and read For Our Veterans.
Some of you may be readers of the country's largest national liberal/progressive blog, Daily Kos. In addition to my duties here, at Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and Michigan Liberal, I also volunteer at Daily Kos as a 'Rescue Ranger', and no, it doesn't involve a chipmunk costume. I'm assigned a couple time slots each week where I pour through all of the posts, or diaries, and select some of the best written ones, where they are then highlighted at the end of the day in Diary Rescue. Since there are thousands of diaries written each day, it takes a volunteer force of about 50 of us from all over the country literally working day and night on this.
Yesterday happened to be one of my regular shifts, it was great to see how many average Americans express their joy, sorrow, anger, and frustration all through the written word. I was particularly pleased to be able to rescue A Soldier's Thoughts on Memorial Day by MichLib's own recently returned veteran from Iraq, djtyg.
DJ's even younger than I am, and he's already been to Gitmo, Iraq and Afghanistan, and carries some painful scars. We're grateful to have him back, but now as a Reservist, he's facing too many uphill battles for a job, funding for education, and proper health and career services. I keep him in mind constantly when doing what I can to speak up on better treatment of the military.
There were several other posts that really touched me, and I wanted to share them with you, as they were written to be read, and I hope that you'll also pass them along.
Namaste
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
The Deafening Silence of Grief
In the last 24 hours -
- I've lost a family member
- Michigan's lost 5 soldiers
- The U.S. has lost a president
Which of these was preventable?
We're almost up to 3,000 American deaths in Iraq.
How many more must die before we stop sending our brave men and women to the slaughter?
Saturday, December 23, 2006
It Just Doesn't Make Any Sense
Iraq seems so far from Michigan. That is until you realize that here in Michigan we've lost 116 men and women to the war in Iraq. The U.S. has lost 2,962 American troops, and worldwide, the total is at a staggering 3,209 coalition deaths.
My father has canceled his subscription to Time Magazine and no longer watches the news on a daily basis. The constant news about Iraq inundates him with too many painful memories of his time in Vietnam, now almost 40 years ago. He doesn't understand why we haven't learned our lesson yet.
Polls from the November elections showed that more voters voted against the Republicans because of the situation in Iraq more than any other reason.
Now the Detroit News suggests we should send another 10,000 troops to the slaughter. Why?
How many more must die? How many of our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers must we sacrifice?
Just a thought, perhaps we should take a page from President James Monroe who advised:
Substitute European for Middle Eastern, and you've got yourself some free advice, Dubya.
Let's focus on another key word there - defense, apparently these days confused quite often with offense.
:sigh:
I don't have answers, but I do know that staying there, and continuing to send our loved ones there is not the answer either. Surely with all the brilliant minds in D.C. we can come up with something better than the status quo.
Our brave men and women deserve more than a magnet on our car or a yellow ribbon tied around the mail box.
Don't they deserve us fighting for them?
My father has canceled his subscription to Time Magazine and no longer watches the news on a daily basis. The constant news about Iraq inundates him with too many painful memories of his time in Vietnam, now almost 40 years ago. He doesn't understand why we haven't learned our lesson yet.
Polls from the November elections showed that more voters voted against the Republicans because of the situation in Iraq more than any other reason.
Now the Detroit News suggests we should send another 10,000 troops to the slaughter. Why?
How many more must die? How many of our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers must we sacrifice?
Just a thought, perhaps we should take a page from President James Monroe who advised:
In the wars of the European powers, in matters relating to themselves, we have never taken part, nor does it comport with our policy, so to do. It is only when our rights are invaded, or seriously menaced that we resent injuries, or make preparations for our defense.
Substitute European for Middle Eastern, and you've got yourself some free advice, Dubya.
Let's focus on another key word there - defense, apparently these days confused quite often with offense.
:sigh:
I don't have answers, but I do know that staying there, and continuing to send our loved ones there is not the answer either. Surely with all the brilliant minds in D.C. we can come up with something better than the status quo.
Our brave men and women deserve more than a magnet on our car or a yellow ribbon tied around the mail box.
Don't they deserve us fighting for them?
Friday, November 10, 2006
For Our Veterans
I always get a lump in my throat when I stand up to sing the Star Spangled Banner, but it often seems as if I'm the only one. The daughter and granddaughter of several of America's heroes, I believe that to have given all or a part of your life to our country and what it stands for is truly one of the most self-less acts, ever.
My dad is a Vietnam Veteran, and I will never know exactly what he suffered, or how wet a monsoon really is, or how terrifying the jungles appeared at night. I couldn't tell you what it's like to spend months and years knowing that it could all be over in a flash, sometimes only because you fly a different flag than the guy at the other end of the gun. I don't know what it's like to return to a country only a year or two older than when you left but be aged beyond words. But our heroes can - and those who serve even now, will return with their own age spots, both emotional and physical.
On this Veterans Day, I am sad to see how little respect our veterans have been given by the press, by our government, and by the people in general. Just with those who have lost their lives in the last 6 years, it seems as if we've swept our heroes under the rug of our daily lives. Now grown men and women have to be told to take their hat off while our anthem plays, and too many still don't know all the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm tired of patriotism being played as a campaign card when it's fashionable, and forgotten when it matters most. Our vets are our heroes, those who stand among us with scars that will always linger, and too often, those who are left behind us as we go forward. These men and women deserve so much more than the societal breadcrumbs we throw them when the media spotlight needs a new poster boy or girl.
So how do we honor our veterans and fallen heroes? I think of my dad, and my grandfathers, and I know that the greatest form of respect we can give them is to never, ever forget - what they've given, what they endure to this day, and the battle that they face even now, on our own soil, through finances, education, and health care. Perhaps we all need to stand as a state and a country, remove our hats, and swallow the collective lump that should form in all of our throats. Wipe the tear that forms in the corner of our eye, and turn to salute our veterans, our heroes. Contrary to what many may think, they are what keeps us great, not the other way around.
My dad is a Vietnam Veteran, and I will never know exactly what he suffered, or how wet a monsoon really is, or how terrifying the jungles appeared at night. I couldn't tell you what it's like to spend months and years knowing that it could all be over in a flash, sometimes only because you fly a different flag than the guy at the other end of the gun. I don't know what it's like to return to a country only a year or two older than when you left but be aged beyond words. But our heroes can - and those who serve even now, will return with their own age spots, both emotional and physical.
On this Veterans Day, I am sad to see how little respect our veterans have been given by the press, by our government, and by the people in general. Just with those who have lost their lives in the last 6 years, it seems as if we've swept our heroes under the rug of our daily lives. Now grown men and women have to be told to take their hat off while our anthem plays, and too many still don't know all the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm tired of patriotism being played as a campaign card when it's fashionable, and forgotten when it matters most. Our vets are our heroes, those who stand among us with scars that will always linger, and too often, those who are left behind us as we go forward. These men and women deserve so much more than the societal breadcrumbs we throw them when the media spotlight needs a new poster boy or girl.
So how do we honor our veterans and fallen heroes? I think of my dad, and my grandfathers, and I know that the greatest form of respect we can give them is to never, ever forget - what they've given, what they endure to this day, and the battle that they face even now, on our own soil, through finances, education, and health care. Perhaps we all need to stand as a state and a country, remove our hats, and swallow the collective lump that should form in all of our throats. Wipe the tear that forms in the corner of our eye, and turn to salute our veterans, our heroes. Contrary to what many may think, they are what keeps us great, not the other way around.
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