Veteran's Day 2010

Is it just me, or do people intentionally misunderstand each other simply for the purpose of being pissed off about something?

I saw a cake yesterday that said "Happy Veterans Day!" and asked the person buying the cake if it wouldn't be better to honor veterans EVERY day, instead of picking one day out of the year that most people really don't give much of a crap about. She got all huffed off, of course. I mean, what fun would life be if you couldn't be someone's victim? But let's face it… to most Americans that work in places that are closed on federal holidays, it's an extra day off… to most of the rest of America, it's a day without mail.

Veteran's Day is, to me, like Valentine's day. It's a day that we pick out of the year to treat an important person as if they really WERE important, so that we don't have to be bothered with it through the rest of the year. Like with Valentine's day… if you don't treat your lover like that all year, then you don't really deserve them.

So I wanted to take a look at Veteran's day, starting with this idiotic "Happy Veteran's Day!" cake. Way to reduce national service to a greeting card sentiment. A lot of vets that I know AREN'T happy, and there are reasons for that. We generally don't treat them very well. Of course, that's one of the reasons for "Happy Veteran's Day!" So that we don't have to address the very serious problems with the ways that we treat our vets. Kind of like the Bush administration shrilling "SUPPORT THE TROOPS!" every time that they opened their mouths, while at the same time cutting veteran health care at every turn, throwing them into a pointless, unnecessary war and significantly undersupplying them in the field.

That's another problem that I have with this… using our veterans and service people as a shield to cover the wrong-doings of the previous administration. Questioning the war or questioning Bush's motivation was equated with questioning or not supporting the troops. This went to the point where, when Viet Nam Veterans for Peace was formed, right-wing mouthpiece and Bush apologist Rush Limbaugh referred to the vets in the organization as "phony" vets. (For the record, Mr. Limbaugh did not serve. He was listed 4-F because of a "pilonidal cyst"… a cyst on his ass.)

Also, for the record, I did not serve in the military. I was in R. O. T. C. for four years and then denied military service for health issues. When I tried to join, the military doctor listened to my heart four separate times (everyone else only once). He finally denied me service, claiming it was because I sometimes walked in my sleep as a child. Years later, a sonogram was done on my heart revealing a leaking ventricle. I realized then that the military doctor had heard something that he didn't like in my heart, but didn't have the proper tools at his disposal to diagnose it.

Also in the interest of full discosure, here is my family's military pedigree, as far as I know…

My grandfather was in the Pacific with the Navy in WWII.

An uncle was in Korea.

My father was in the Air Force between Korea and Viet Nam. He was in Bermuda during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Two uncles were in Viet Nam, one didn't return. (Another uncle, who is a gung-ho Bush and Iraq war supporter, didn't serve. Why does this seem to be such a common thread?)

My older brother was in the Army.

A nephew was stationed in Kuwait during the current Iraq operation.

I, as a said, was in Naval R. O. T. C. for four years and then denied military service.

Support the troops, people. Yeah, they're not all heroes. They're not even all worthwhile human beings. Some of them are complete shits. But honor their SERVICE. Honor the fact that they had the guts to join the military, where their lives may have been put in danger, whether they actually WERE or not.

That means don't make them go die for oil. Give them housing and health care. Some areas give vets tax exemptions. What a great idea. Instead of giving tax cuts to men and women who inherited wealth, how about we give them to the men and women who served their country instead?

And most importantly, if you meet someone who served, shake their hand and thank them for their service. Regardless of how you feel about any particular campaign that the government threw them in to, let them know how much you appreciate the fact that they served and protected you.

Let EVERY day be Veteran's day.

Peace.

Rev. Randal