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Date Posted: Fri, January 28 2005, 23:46:16
Author: Larry Lusk
Author Host/IP: 66.214.61.7
Subject: Re: Priorities?
In reply to: Wayne 's message, "Re: Priorities?" on Fri, January 28 2005, 13:27:53

Wayne, at times I may sound cynical and indicate that I have little faith in my own country and countrymen and women. The truth is that much of the time I don’t have much faith anymore in the people and country that we fought and sacrificed so much for during our time in the service. It has seemed to me that after WWII our country decided that from that time forward our service men and women were discardable, something to be used then tossed aside when they were no longer of use. I have never understood completely why even our service organizations; the American Legion and VFW were so hostile to us after we returned from “our” war. As long as you stayed in the service and were of use to your military branch you were given some respect and courtesy. Once you were “out” no one seemed to give a damn about you with the exception of the Marine Corp. Even then I’ve been told that if you didn’t toe the line and tarnished the image of what a Marine was supposed to be you got the boot.

Books and stories have been written about the honor and valor of Vietnam Veterans being “stolen” from them. This is true but the finger pointing at who was responsible for this misses the mark big time. Yes, the press and some vets said and did some things that hurt us but the real “thieves” were the American people themselves. They could have seen through the political games and rhetoric if they had wanted to. For some reason it was easier to feel sorry and try to help people thousands of miles away who were now refugees because they weren’t willing to fight to the death for their own country than to help your next door neighbor who came home from that war missing an arm or a leg or his/her sanity.

Maybe I was too young and naive to have seen something that already existed but it sure seemed to me that my country had changed dramatically in the three years I was gone. The society that turned it’s backs on us hasn’t changed much in the years since. People put a yellow ribbon on their cars and fly the flag but please don’t tell me about the families reduced to public aid because Daddy came home from Iraq in a box. Millions of dollars of aid were given to the victims of 9/11 but our public largess seems to have stopped there. It’s the American people as a whole who steal the honor and valor from the men and women who risk their lives to defend those who have no desire to help their families when they don’t come home. If you feel the need to point fingers just look at your next door neighbor. Millions for defense but not one penny for gratitude.

If you think I am wrong in my feelings then as the old ad says “show me the beef!”.

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