Sunday, November 1, 2009

Veterans' Day

JMJ. Mark your calendars if they aren't already. Nov. 11 is Veterans'
Day. I think of this every time a young serviceman (or woman) gets shipped home for burial from Afghanistan or Iraq or whatever venue is hot at the moment. The crowds line the streets and weep as the cortege passes by. They wave flags, salute the coffin, and mourn the passing of a young life cut short before it had even begun.

I can't help but wonder, "Where were you sunshine patriots when OUR dead arrived?" They were just as dead, just as young, and just as patriotic as these youngsters are. But the streets were empty, the only mourners were family and close friends, and the media largely ignored them except in terms of "body count." If you ever wonder why one Viet Nam vet says "Welcome Home" to another it is for this reason. Nobody welcomed us then or acknowledges us now.

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