My husband was not wounded, but the year after he returned from Iraq was a sleepless one for him and for me. He never talked about being tired or angry about the dreams. He just figured out how to deal. Now, that is not to say that some servicemen have not felt a need to rage or vent and I am certainly not saying it is wrong for them to do so, just that personally, it is not a characteristic I have seen in the men I know(not to exclude the women who have served, I just do not know any, meaning talked with them about their service or spent time with them)
I have heard Marines(not necessarily from all of the ones mentioned previously) complain and get pretty pissed off about the laziness that has taken over our country. I have heard the F-word more than once when the topic of entitlement comes up.
Yesterday I posted this on my FaceBook
After all the crap this administration has pulled and what appears to be complete apathy by the American people, I think it really is time to be a little more outraged and a little more "in-your-face". I am not good at this. I am much better and being quiet and fighting by how I vote and by my actions. I am not sure what "in-your-face" is gonna look like from me, but I know I have been too dependent on others to fight on my behalf and I know it's time I learned to step up.
**The last 2 images are from a FaceBook page called One Boy USO.
Applause.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get "in their face" you'll lose readers, and have to delete some comments. And the world will be a better place for your efforts.
Cheers.
What that judge wrote!!!! Finally, a judge that has the balls to say what parents should have been telling their kids. 'Course then some dipshit would have them hauled in for abuse....Sigh......
ReplyDeleteLol, probably. We have become a very wimpy society.
DeleteI laugh when someone complains about the heat, I say try carrying 80 lbs of gear around in what feels like a super heated attic in the summer. Of course it be honest my tolerance for heat is less since I got back. I used to think I would never complain about heat anymore but I still do.
ReplyDeleteWe all complain. Just because I didn't serve in the military doesn't mean I don't get hot or have a bad day or get annoyed and need to vent, but when it becomes a way of life to just complain non stop, then I say it might be time to reevaluate.
DeleteHave I thanked you lately for your service? Thank you!
Dear Duke, buddy - if you come back, could you read my comment below? i would appreciate it!
DeleteI posted the photo about the heat on my FB page too. Here in south Texas we have high heat and a lot of military. People need to be reminded of the reality of their situation sometimes. Yes, it is hot and miserable but it could be a whole lot worse.
ReplyDeleteWhen ever I see someone in uniform, I stop and thank them for their service to our county. I also do it with anyone who wears a ball cap saying that they are a vet. Once I did it with a Vietnam vet in the grocery store. He got teary eyed and said that no one had ever told him that. It is my way of fighting to make a difference in one life at a time.
I missed this somehow, sorry:)
DeleteYou are such a kind women. For years we have anonymously left gift cards on windshields of service memeber's cars. I have done it that way because I don't ever want anyone to think I am trying to get anything from them, but recently I have thought maybe the service member would appreciate a face to face thank you. You inspire to give this more thought.
All, you know there are things that we do when in service that we never thought we would be asked to do. MOPP gear on a 120F day, humping through the desert with a full load out, re-rolling concertina wire, etc. Did we bitch about it at the time? Amongst ourselves of course we did. Would we ever have quit because of it, not a chance. Do we go out and get in peoples faces about all the conditions that we worked in? Nope, that is not something that they would understand or care about. I and my brethren did what we did because it was "right" for us to do so. Cold War, Panama, Greneda, Beruit, Desert Storm, OIF, etc. we all elected to serve because it was right for us. If I had to spend months in the desert without running water, or hot chow so what.
ReplyDeleteGirl - Thank you for feeling like it is the right thing for you to do, to get in people's faces on our behalf. My advice though (for what it's worth) is to deliver your message with enough subtlety that you are not put into an uncomfortable or confrontational situation. While we (I) appreciate the sentiments and the effort, if it puts you in an unsafe position it is not worth it. Be overt, be polite, be subtle, and expect the worst kind of response from those that do not understand.
The fact that you do understand, more than most, is (I think) enough thanks for most of us.
I so appreciate this comment thank you for leaving it and thank you for defending our country.
DeleteI think my version of "in your face" will be more like you describe. I don't want to be angry or mean and I don't want to lose who I am, but I do think being a little more vocal is the least I can do to show my gratitude. I also show it by living a happy life. By not complaining about things, by letting people know I care, by teaching my kids to be a better steward of the gifts they have been given then many of us have been. I just think I can do a little better than I have:)
The 30-year old son of one of my closest friends (fellow retired Marine) was killed by an IED in Afghanistan. He had a wife and two small sons. His dad (my friend) has never complained about his tragic loss. Mourned; grieved; got angry? Absolutely! Complained or became bitter? Never.
ReplyDeleteSteve
Thank you Steve for sharing that!!
DeleteAGirl, you do know at least on female Vet.
ReplyDeleteBTW, great post. I too have gotten in the habit of thanking people for thier service. I do it because I realized how I felt the first time someone said it to me and I could tell they meant it even if they didn't understand. Some of us had different timing, some had combat tours, some did not. But we all signed on the line and took the oath, prepared to pay in blood in asked. It isn't something anyone does lightly but I wouldn't trade any of the time I spent in uniform for a cushy job in an air conditioned office (ok, a lot of my time in uniform was cushy jobs in air conditioned offices, but not all of it).
Thor is right, be subtle, be careful...too many people take their freedoms for granted, or don't understand them, which is why they are so willing to give them away. Those people are more dangerous to our way of life than our "enemies".
Lynne, I do know you are a Vet and your service is equally as valuable and I am equally as thankful for your willingness to serve and make sacrifices. I was trying to limit my post to wounded vets that I know at least casually as well as the ones I know very well. I tend to ramble, so in addition to editing better(I fear futile) I am trying to stay on topic...lol
ReplyDeleteThank dear friend for your service!
thank you. I missed the distinction in there somwhere. It is important to remember that not all wounds are obvious or combat related. Sometimes things happen. But I have a special place in my heart for those who have been under fire. I was fortunate, my wartime service (first gulf war)was here doing support activities.
DeleteAbsolutely, yes not all wounds are physical and I would argue the wounds that can't be seen are sometimes the most painful and can take longer to heal.
DeleteJust sitting here agreeing.
ReplyDeleteyou know at least 2 female vets from my reading of the comments. i never served in the sandpit but let me tell you - there are few places in the world that are worse to serve in than in the Arctic Circle for six months of darkness, with a female to male ratio of 1:10 and alcoholic drinks that cost 10-25 cents per. i served 2, 6month tours in hell in darkness. no i don't know the sandpit - i know of other hells. try carrying 28lbs of gear on top of your 18lbs of arctic wear!!!! when you go out 3 times a shift on polar bear and wolf patrol!!! no, we didn't suffer from the heat.
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
That is why I posted about the heat....I can't handle the cold:).
DeleteThe heat picture was because it is hot right now and the desert is currently where lots of our military folks are.
The post was not to disminish anyone's service. I don't know every single person who has served or how they feel or react, so I stuck to discussing people I actually know, how they behave and how their behavior has inspired me.
Many people who haven't served one day inspire me. Kind of the point was that there are a lot of bloggers who are not vets,but they fight for the rights and freedoms of these country in other ways. In ways I never have.
Kymber, I hope that I have shown you what an inspiration you are to me. Thank you for your contributions, service and sacrifice.
I meant "their" country and I am sorry I capitalized your name...kymber.
Deletebahahahahahahah! i will forgive you for the capitalization - thanks for noting that!!! and Beth below nailed it!
DeleteWell as a wise man said once..You can't offend everyone all of the time..Darn!
ReplyDeleteGive 'em hell!
Lol. Thanks!
DeleteExcellent post.
ReplyDeleteSo many comments to make to so many of those who've replied....let me start out by saying a heartfelt THANK YOU to all who've donned the uniform of their country, peacetime or wartime, front lines or support. AGirl, I don't speak for all vets out there, but I think possibly the best way to show appreciation is to raise your kids with a strong sense of patriotism and love of country. This is not to be confused with a love of a political party. Pass this along to as many folks as you can, and our time in-service will have been well worth it.
ReplyDeleteI removed a comment that I made after a commenter removed their own comment. Mine didn't make sense after theirs was removed, but my iPad moved and I deleted mine to yours also. Sorry.
DeleteI don't remember exactly what I said, hopefully you read it...lol
LOL No worries...I doubt anything I'd posted had much merit anyway. Just blame it on the iCrash!
DeleteI was just talking to Stud about how no one can go more than 30 minutes without AC. We didn't know what AC was in the 60's and slept on sweat soaked sheets in the summer and had ice on the INSIDE of our windows in the winter. No. I wouldn't want to try that again, but when kids are sent to fight and die, while their peers are home and bored into destroying the property of others, maybe those 'kids' need to be deployed right back into this country and be allowed to clean THIS place up first.
ReplyDeleteYou just jerked my chain, darlin'.
The current folks that make those decisions would never let it happen.
DeleteVery well said. I'll add this.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it take to turn a 9 year Army vet, 24 year retired police officer into someone who is distrustful of his government? What does it take to turn a husband, father and grandfather into an activist? What does it take to turn a man who has held a job of one sort or another since he was 8 and paid taxes for 35 years into an absolutist? I am a man who has served faithfully, who has given his loyalty and fidelity to a country I no longer recognize. What does it take to take a man like me write those words?
A long, slow erosion of civil rights and watching years of politicians spit on the hallmarks of Honor, Duty and Country. Moral relativism and the idea that power is an end in and of itself.
It's literally mind boggling that the politicians in this country could turn me into what I'm becoming.
Yeah, like you I'm pretty angry and not very good at expressing it. I've tried to let those smarter than I am carry the water but maybe it is time to take my turn under the yoke.
Thank you for your sacrifices. I think my husband feels the same as you on many issues.
DeleteHopefully, it's not to late to do something about this mess.
You go Girl! I'm currently staging my little act of "civil disobedience" by refusing to complete and return the infamous "American Community Survey" form (sponsored by the Census Bureau.)
ReplyDeleteDespite threats of fines, I'm holding fast.
Lol, good for you!
DeleteExcellent post. I too lament what we collectively have become as a Nation. I'm reading a book now, "Boys From The Battleship USS North Carolina". An interesting read. It sums up the frustration I have as do you. The "Showboat" BB-55 is in Wilmington NC as a Memorial to our WWII vets. I visit as often as I can. She is a storied ship and served in every Pacific Ocean Campaign against the Japanese. It was the first new Battleship to steam into Pearl Harbor after the attack.
ReplyDeleteOver time, the people wandering around this vessel piss me off. "It's hot down here, the steps are too steep, where are the bathrooms, etc. Hell, try how hot it would be if the boilers were running and the ship had a full complement of crew! Oh, and the people trying to kill you out there!
We collectively as a Nation have become soft except for a few. I fear we do not deserve them anymore. God bless them.
Definitely true, my generation is way too hung up on thinking they are entitled to a job, when really they lack anything to offer the world. I am just glad there were a lot of guys from my graduating class back in high school that chose to serve, many of my friends are now in the armed forces. I am grateful for them, so I could go off to college and so I didn't have to be the one making that tough sacrifice. My gratitude goes out to all those who make or have made that sacrifice.
ReplyDelete