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Remembering Those Who Served
Earlier this morning I asked you to tell your stories about those who have served their country. The following are stories from your community.Only after my Grandfathers death did I hear the stories of what he had seen in WWII. My other Grandfather never talked of the war. I have a friend that served in Vietnam, and he still has nightmares that he is over there.
Those serving now will live with the horrors of war for the rest of their lives. I may not agree with the cause, but I honor them, and wish them strength. To those that have given their lives in the line of duty, I will pause to remember them today. Right now we are losing an average of 2 soldiers a day in Iraq, and that is 2 a day too many.
My heart goes out to the families of those that have fallen throughout the history of this country.
-Katie Thomson
My uncle was a POW in Germany in World War II. He was shot down over France and turned in to the Gestapo. He almost never talks about it, but when pressed, has only said that neither the prisoners nor the guards had much to eat, mostly cabbage. He also once said that they would often automatically kill British pilots shot down, but not Americans. I would guess our days of positive preferential treatment for American prisoners are over. My uncle lost a kidney and froze some toes, but has been in good health until very recently, when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. All prayers for recovery would be appreciated.
-JayDean
My father was a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War. He was gone for months at a time on Naval Aircraft Carriers, and I missed him a lot as a little girl. I experienced the surreal existence of him being gone and waiting with great hope for him to come back. My brother, Bob, was a Navy Sea Bee in the Viet Nam War. It changed his life forever. The spring before he died, he told me a story about something that happened years ago. The emotion was so powerful. He was reliving it still. As the 21st century and the new millennium began, I was hopeful that more and more of us would become involved with concerns for humanity as a result of the stories and experiences we had heard from our loved ones who came back from wars in the 20th century. I was so sure that the higher values of understanding, kindness, compassion and caring would become the hallmarks of what we had learned...and I proudly thought that the sacrifices of my dad and brother had paved the way for other wives like my mother and other children...like in my family...to be free of the pain and suffering of war. And, on this Memorial Day...I Still Hope For That!
-Patty Ann Smith
James R. Woolsey
Paul D. Wolfowitz
Richard B. Cheney
Wesley K Clark (ex Presidential Candidate)
Richard M. Perle (Prince of Darkness)
Elliot Abrams
Douglas J. Feith
John Forbes Kerry (Presidential Candidate)
These elite gentalmen are all members of the Council on Foreign Relatiotions. The one world goverment boys.
Don't expect much from Kerry. He is just about as much smoke and mirrors as Bush. These people represent their interests and not that of the public.
Paul D. Wolfowitz
Richard B. Cheney
Wesley K Clark (ex Presidential Candidate)
Richard M. Perle (Prince of Darkness)
Elliot Abrams
Douglas J. Feith
John Forbes Kerry (Presidential Candidate)
These elite gentalmen are all members of the Council on Foreign Relatiotions. The one world goverment boys.
Don't expect much from Kerry. He is just about as much smoke and mirrors as Bush. These people represent their interests and not that of the public.
Here's the Honolulu Star-Bulletin story on how Dean electrified Hawaii democrats as keynote speaker at the dem convention:
http://starbulletin.com/2004/05/30/news/index3.html
http://starbulletin.com/2004/05/30/news/index3.html
Very nice post Alison. I've been off the blog for awhile while visiting family back home in Chitown.
Speaking of that lovely city by Lake Michigan....
I'll never forget the "Welcome Home" parade for Vietnam vets down Dearborn Street several years ago. It was long overdue. I played hooky from the office and stood until the last soldier passed by which took almost two hours. I saw several friends and was glad I was able to give them a big hug of thanks, and that they received the well deserved recognition and respect.
The Vietnam war really did a number on me, as the current debacle in Iraq is currently doing. I'll never understand how peace can be gained through war.
Speaking of that lovely city by Lake Michigan....
I'll never forget the "Welcome Home" parade for Vietnam vets down Dearborn Street several years ago. It was long overdue. I played hooky from the office and stood until the last soldier passed by which took almost two hours. I saw several friends and was glad I was able to give them a big hug of thanks, and that they received the well deserved recognition and respect.
The Vietnam war really did a number on me, as the current debacle in Iraq is currently doing. I'll never understand how peace can be gained through war.
James R. Woolsey
Paul D. Wolfowitz
Richard B. Cheney
Wesley K Clark (ex Presidential Candidate)
Richard M. Perle (Prince of Darkness)
Elliot Abrams
Douglas J. Feith
John Forbes Kerry (Presidential Candidate)
Scary list. Wolfowitz should be listed as "Special Envoy to Israel."
Paul D. Wolfowitz
Richard B. Cheney
Wesley K Clark (ex Presidential Candidate)
Richard M. Perle (Prince of Darkness)
Elliot Abrams
Douglas J. Feith
John Forbes Kerry (Presidential Candidate)
Scary list. Wolfowitz should be listed as "Special Envoy to Israel."
Beautiful entries about remembering those who served.
Today we had a Dem activist dinner meeting with one the many Kerry reps sent to handle Central Florida. The said they consider this one of the major must-win areas in all of the U.S. so we have our work cut out for us here.
Then we all went to an outdoor event in the gardens at the front of our county courthouse. It was a candlelight vigil where we read all the names of our fallen heroes of Iraq (I read all of the heroes from NY State).
The whole thing went perfectly, a singer, trumpet player (Taps). It was also a great visibility event, drawing attention of the media about the deaths due to Bush's war in Iraq.
I hope all you bloggers in the Midwest came through those horrible storms OK once again. Old man weather has it in for you right now, it seems.
Kerry/Dean
Today we had a Dem activist dinner meeting with one the many Kerry reps sent to handle Central Florida. The said they consider this one of the major must-win areas in all of the U.S. so we have our work cut out for us here.
Then we all went to an outdoor event in the gardens at the front of our county courthouse. It was a candlelight vigil where we read all the names of our fallen heroes of Iraq (I read all of the heroes from NY State).
The whole thing went perfectly, a singer, trumpet player (Taps). It was also a great visibility event, drawing attention of the media about the deaths due to Bush's war in Iraq.
I hope all you bloggers in the Midwest came through those horrible storms OK once again. Old man weather has it in for you right now, it seems.
Kerry/Dean
Bush must either appoint a CIA puppet or face the prospect of being told to leave Iraq -- before our election.
Guess which he'll choose.
Guess which he'll choose.
My better half is a Vietnam War vet. He served two tours, and even after all this time, he does not freely speak of his experience, except in a general sense, or when I press him concerning current events in relation. While I was too young to appreciate the events during the era, I am of an age where I have come to know many who did serve during that time.
War is hell. Today, I read yet another article describing how our veterans return home and find themselves confronted with hardship in reacclimatizing themselves to civil life. Many of the homeless we pass on the street are former veterans, for numerous reasons.
In remembering those who serve, I find that numerous administrations have shrugged off the responsibility of caring for those who served at the behest of political leaders, and party affiliation makes no difference. Our veterans, those who represent many of the homeless, many of the drug addicted, and many of those who suffer some form or fashion of mental illness or physical illness, did not just suffer by some random act or poor life choices, unless serving our country is a poor life choice.
Remembering those who served, means that we must do more than just drive by those many consider lower than life on median strips and sidewalks. A news report today offered one option of helping those who suffer as a result of service, and it simply requires asking a group to sacrifice the change in their pockets on a daily basis.
As our government continually screws those who have served, while we press government to fulfill the promise of "we", "we" must also do all that we can to ensure that those who served, even while we might not have agreed with the cause, are honored for just doing their duty.
War is hell. Today, I read yet another article describing how our veterans return home and find themselves confronted with hardship in reacclimatizing themselves to civil life. Many of the homeless we pass on the street are former veterans, for numerous reasons.
In remembering those who serve, I find that numerous administrations have shrugged off the responsibility of caring for those who served at the behest of political leaders, and party affiliation makes no difference. Our veterans, those who represent many of the homeless, many of the drug addicted, and many of those who suffer some form or fashion of mental illness or physical illness, did not just suffer by some random act or poor life choices, unless serving our country is a poor life choice.
Remembering those who served, means that we must do more than just drive by those many consider lower than life on median strips and sidewalks. A news report today offered one option of helping those who suffer as a result of service, and it simply requires asking a group to sacrifice the change in their pockets on a daily basis.
As our government continually screws those who have served, while we press government to fulfill the promise of "we", "we" must also do all that we can to ensure that those who served, even while we might not have agreed with the cause, are honored for just doing their duty.
If you are watching the WEST WING marathon...the episodes on a flash back (the Tales of Two Gunman) on how a New England Gov from a small state became POTUS.
There are some interesting lessons there. To bad we did not have a Leo McGary.
Robert G. Oler
There are some interesting lessons there. To bad we did not have a Leo McGary.
Robert G. Oler
A good war movie is "One Man's Hero", with Tom Berenger.
It's about how the US gov bamboozled the Irish immigrants into military service in order to invade Mexico under false pretenses. The movie is available in the US now, but it was banned here when it first came out. The premiere was actually held in Ireland.
We invaded Mexico on a lie. It's a powerful movie with unbelievably realistic acting and action. Strongly recommended.
It's about how the US gov bamboozled the Irish immigrants into military service in order to invade Mexico under false pretenses. The movie is available in the US now, but it was banned here when it first came out. The premiere was actually held in Ireland.
We invaded Mexico on a lie. It's a powerful movie with unbelievably realistic acting and action. Strongly recommended.
--- Support Our Vets
Vote for one. ---
Voters don't give a damn about electing war heroes -- just ask McGovern, Dole, or McCain.
Or ask Reagan, Clinton, or Bushboy who never got within 10,000 miles of a bullet while their country was at war.
Bush is a vet too, by the way -- technically at least.
Vote for one. ---
Voters don't give a damn about electing war heroes -- just ask McGovern, Dole, or McCain.
Or ask Reagan, Clinton, or Bushboy who never got within 10,000 miles of a bullet while their country was at war.
Bush is a vet too, by the way -- technically at least.
Posted by Sitka at May 31, 2004 11:10 PM
I agree 100%
I agree 100%
Alison: thank you for the thoughtful post.
Patricia C: I was born in 1973, so I can't relate to the Vietnam War, but I do remember in my early childhood seeing homeless veterans and hippies in the streets of the Bay Area, not having a clue about anything but just being fascinated by them the way a young child would be.
Unfortunately, these criminals in the White House are re-creating Vietnam for my generation, lest we missed anything good.
"Driving through Minnesota during the Hanoi Bombings"
We drive between lakes just turning green;
Late June. The white turkeys have been moved
To new grass.
How long the seconds are in great pain!
Terror just before death,
Shoulders torn, shot
From helicopters, the boy
Tortured with the telephone generator,
"I felt sorry for him,
And blew his head off with a shotgun."
These instants become crystals,
Particles
The grass cannot dissolve. Our own gaiety
Will end up
In Asia, and in your cup you will look down
And see
Black Starfighters.
We were the ones we intended to bomb!
Therefore we will have
To go far away
To atone
For the sufferings of the stringy-chested
And the small rice-fed ones, quivering
In the helicopter like wild animals,
Shot in the chest, taken back to be questioned.
Robert Bly
This evening, I read "Searing Uncertainty for Iraqis Missing Loved Ones":
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/01/international/middleeast/01PRIS.html
Excerpt:
Khraisan al-Aballi and his 80-year-old father were taken into custody, and for 10 days, he contends, he was tortured: stripped naked and forced to stand and kneel for hours; kicked and beaten with a stick; ordered to confess with a gun to his head.
The charge, he said, was that the family had been harboring one of Iraq's former vice presidents, Izzat Ibrahim — a man Mr. Aballi said he had never met.
At one point, he said, an interrogator said to him: "You think you are speaking to a fool, but you are a liar and a criminal. We are going to take you and your family to a very deep hole."
He was finally reunited with his father, who was bleeding from his face and had been forced to listen to his son's torture. They were released then and have tried, fruitlessly, to find Duraid.
A year later, Mr. Aballi still has the marks from the handcuffs on his wrists, as well as a deep scar of anger at Americans who he says moved too quickly from suspicion to torture and have not respected Iraqis enough to provide information as basic as whether his brother is alive or dead.
"You know why?" said Mr. Aballi, who worked through the account of his family's ordeal with tears, many cigarettes and much difficulty. "It's because they have absolute force. No one sees what they do."
"They were right," he said. "They said, `We are going to put you into a very deep hole.' "
Our own gaiety
Will end up
In Iraq.
Patricia C: I was born in 1973, so I can't relate to the Vietnam War, but I do remember in my early childhood seeing homeless veterans and hippies in the streets of the Bay Area, not having a clue about anything but just being fascinated by them the way a young child would be.
Unfortunately, these criminals in the White House are re-creating Vietnam for my generation, lest we missed anything good.
"Driving through Minnesota during the Hanoi Bombings"
We drive between lakes just turning green;
Late June. The white turkeys have been moved
To new grass.
How long the seconds are in great pain!
Terror just before death,
Shoulders torn, shot
From helicopters, the boy
Tortured with the telephone generator,
"I felt sorry for him,
And blew his head off with a shotgun."
These instants become crystals,
Particles
The grass cannot dissolve. Our own gaiety
Will end up
In Asia, and in your cup you will look down
And see
Black Starfighters.
We were the ones we intended to bomb!
Therefore we will have
To go far away
To atone
For the sufferings of the stringy-chested
And the small rice-fed ones, quivering
In the helicopter like wild animals,
Shot in the chest, taken back to be questioned.
Robert Bly
This evening, I read "Searing Uncertainty for Iraqis Missing Loved Ones":
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/01/international/middleeast/01PRIS.html
Excerpt:
Khraisan al-Aballi and his 80-year-old father were taken into custody, and for 10 days, he contends, he was tortured: stripped naked and forced to stand and kneel for hours; kicked and beaten with a stick; ordered to confess with a gun to his head.
The charge, he said, was that the family had been harboring one of Iraq's former vice presidents, Izzat Ibrahim — a man Mr. Aballi said he had never met.
At one point, he said, an interrogator said to him: "You think you are speaking to a fool, but you are a liar and a criminal. We are going to take you and your family to a very deep hole."
He was finally reunited with his father, who was bleeding from his face and had been forced to listen to his son's torture. They were released then and have tried, fruitlessly, to find Duraid.
A year later, Mr. Aballi still has the marks from the handcuffs on his wrists, as well as a deep scar of anger at Americans who he says moved too quickly from suspicion to torture and have not respected Iraqis enough to provide information as basic as whether his brother is alive or dead.
"You know why?" said Mr. Aballi, who worked through the account of his family's ordeal with tears, many cigarettes and much difficulty. "It's because they have absolute force. No one sees what they do."
"They were right," he said. "They said, `We are going to put you into a very deep hole.' "
Our own gaiety
Will end up
In Iraq.
Posted by Patricia C at May 31, 2004 11:12 PM
It is really hard to beleive, all the sad stories of our brave veterans.
It is really hard to beleive, all the sad stories of our brave veterans.
I was 17 when my childhood sweetheart was killed in Viet Nam, 2 weeks before he was due to come home.
His name was Louis Girolimon, from Peabody, Mass.
That same year, my girlfriend's boyfriend was killed. His name was Bruce Dick. Then John Savageau was killed. I spent one afternoon holding his sister Dotty while she cried.
I remember when the daily newspaper would get delivered, and being torn between wanting to look and not wanting to. The front page is where they listed the deaths of our local boys, a black-framed section that you couldn't miss if you tried to. It was so hard to look, and even harder when you recognized a name.
I hate it when war is glorified. There's nothing glorious about mothers' children killing mothers' children.
I haven't been to the wall yet.
His name was Louis Girolimon, from Peabody, Mass.
That same year, my girlfriend's boyfriend was killed. His name was Bruce Dick. Then John Savageau was killed. I spent one afternoon holding his sister Dotty while she cried.
I remember when the daily newspaper would get delivered, and being torn between wanting to look and not wanting to. The front page is where they listed the deaths of our local boys, a black-framed section that you couldn't miss if you tried to. It was so hard to look, and even harder when you recognized a name.
I hate it when war is glorified. There's nothing glorious about mothers' children killing mothers' children.
I haven't been to the wall yet.
I must be missing something. Where is a link to the 2nd Dean Dozen so one does not have to search the May archives? If I click the red button, I only get the first Dozen.
part of the problem with the perception of vets, war, violence, foreign policy, etc., is that people think of movies/tv. "isn't that iraq thing just a show that's on all the time???" is being so removed from the daily violence experience of untold numbers of people throughtout the world not also a form of violence? and further, to not be able to emphasize with the vet experience also the same???
I haven't been to the wall yet.
Posted by Judy at May 31, 2004 11:20 PM
It will blow you away, especially the Vietnam Women's Veterans monument. I work with a lady who was a nurse on the "flying hospitals" during Vietnam; the stories that woman has will bring tears to your eyes, but her courage is what makes me proud to know her.
Posted by Judy at May 31, 2004 11:20 PM
It will blow you away, especially the Vietnam Women's Veterans monument. I work with a lady who was a nurse on the "flying hospitals" during Vietnam; the stories that woman has will bring tears to your eyes, but her courage is what makes me proud to know her.
Posted by Judy at May 31, 2004 11:20 PM
Your post has brought tears to my eyes.
I also feel a stab of anger, because I agree with you, absolutely, that there is NOTHING glorious about war.
One half of my family (my mom's side) is ALL military, and not once did I hear my grandfather, or any of her uncles, say war was wonderful and glorious, which gives you an idea of their character (they were very good men).
I saw the Vietnam memorial in D.C. when I was 17; I was there for the Westinghouse Science Talent Search finals (nerd alert), and we all decided to go there at night.
It was raining, cold, and misty.
The wall is lit at night, and it was very eerie.
I remember tracing some of the names with my fingertips, and wondering if such a war would happen again in my lifetime.
right to the point page--except insert the child's view into the adult.
Hi everyone!
I don't know if you all already know about this (I haven't looked through the threads.) But on the topic of veterans, our own Kimmy Cash will be visiting those in Walter Reed Army Hospital during her trip to DC.
What a brave and awesome girl she is.
Just thought you all should know.
--Toscha
I don't know if you all already know about this (I haven't looked through the threads.) But on the topic of veterans, our own Kimmy Cash will be visiting those in Walter Reed Army Hospital during her trip to DC.
What a brave and awesome girl she is.
Just thought you all should know.
--Toscha
Sam Dash~~~"we almost lost our democracy and our constitutional republic"
Thanks for your service, sir.
Thanks for your service, sir.
Good evening, bloggers! Just popped in to see how things were going. I've been missing you guys, but...sigh...I'm trying to get on the long road back to my real life. Got a job interview tomorrow, so I have to turn in early.
But I just can't let this one pass:
For you free spirit...
John Kerry is the one true way!
Posted by Phil from Iowa at May 31, 2004 01:30 PM
-----
Yeah, Phil, but...to where? :-)
Posted by Free Spirit at May 31, 2004 08:49 PM
-----
John Kerry is totally orgasmic
Posted by Mike in Raleigh NC at May 31, 2004 09:53 PM
-----
Did I see a post with the words "John Kerry" and "orgasmic" both in the same sentence?
Excuse me while I barf!
Posted by Page in Albuquerque 2.0 at May 31, 2004 10:23 PM
-----
how far a lot of people here *have* come in our ability to support Kerry
Posted by Renee in Ohio at May 31, 2004 10:05 PM
-----
Yes, Renee, I even went to a Kerry meetup last week.
Posted by John in Cincinnati at May 31, 2004 10:12 PM
-----
So, John...was it as good for you as it was for them?
But I just can't let this one pass:
For you free spirit...
John Kerry is the one true way!
Posted by Phil from Iowa at May 31, 2004 01:30 PM
-----
Yeah, Phil, but...to where? :-)
Posted by Free Spirit at May 31, 2004 08:49 PM
-----
John Kerry is totally orgasmic
Posted by Mike in Raleigh NC at May 31, 2004 09:53 PM
-----
Did I see a post with the words "John Kerry" and "orgasmic" both in the same sentence?
Excuse me while I barf!
Posted by Page in Albuquerque 2.0 at May 31, 2004 10:23 PM
-----
how far a lot of people here *have* come in our ability to support Kerry
Posted by Renee in Ohio at May 31, 2004 10:05 PM
-----
Yes, Renee, I even went to a Kerry meetup last week.
Posted by John in Cincinnati at May 31, 2004 10:12 PM
-----
So, John...was it as good for you as it was for them?
Well, it looks like everyone's gone to bed...
Before I leave, I just can't go without commenting on that pic on the main BFA page:
I think I prefer the JC Penney suit to the Hawaiian look :) But that's just me...
Goodnight, all.
--Toscha
Before I leave, I just can't go without commenting on that pic on the main BFA page:
I think I prefer the JC Penney suit to the Hawaiian look :) But that's just me...
Goodnight, all.
--Toscha
Our Veterans remind me why I am politically active. They risked their lives so we could have a political process. And no matter if its John McCain or George H. W. Bush, John Kerry or Wesely Clark they all have my respect.
And the least I can do to honor them is to do my part and be invovled in the political process to make this country better.
And the least I can do to honor them is to do my part and be invovled in the political process to make this country better.
~~~I saw the Vietnam memorial in D.C. when ~~~
i was there with friends. I was overwhelmed! Cried! Oh my god, I felt so ashamed and connected. My father served @30 years (42-71). I was and am proud of him and his character. Seeing the lives on a common grave stone lost to an unrecoverable past. I thought of all the men and women the old man knew and loved and his emotions (not easily shared).
i was there with friends. I was overwhelmed! Cried! Oh my god, I felt so ashamed and connected. My father served @30 years (42-71). I was and am proud of him and his character. Seeing the lives on a common grave stone lost to an unrecoverable past. I thought of all the men and women the old man knew and loved and his emotions (not easily shared).
It is really hard to beleive, all the sad stories of our brave veterans.
Posted by Charles in Montana at May 31, 2004 11:19 PM
________________
Somehow I feel sad that you are one of the few who understand.
Posted by Charles in Montana at May 31, 2004 11:19 PM
________________
Somehow I feel sad that you are one of the few who understand.
When I think about those who fought and died, I'm convinced that they didn't die for America to be bankrupted and to have the principles they believed destroyed by money-worshipping, power-thirsting maniacs.
It's sad that we can't even properly see to it that our vets have all that they need or deserve, to say nothing of our children and their generation.
We owe to the generations before, and those to come, to work our arses off to protect this democracy from those who are exploiting it for their own gain.
It's sad that we can't even properly see to it that our vets have all that they need or deserve, to say nothing of our children and their generation.
We owe to the generations before, and those to come, to work our arses off to protect this democracy from those who are exploiting it for their own gain.
--- Sam Dash~~~"we almost lost our democracy and our constitutional republic" ---
And then came Bush and the Supremes. It just goes to show that the battle is never really over.
And then came Bush and the Supremes. It just goes to show that the battle is never really over.
Posted by Elaine in ca at May 31, 2004 11:57 PM
That's damned scary.
What we need to do is this.
Tell Republicans with kids in the draft age range that if their beloved candidate is elected, their kids will be drafted.
Simply tell them that. Nothing more. Provide a direct quote from the legislation so they can look it up if they want to.
That's damned scary.
What we need to do is this.
Tell Republicans with kids in the draft age range that if their beloved candidate is elected, their kids will be drafted.
Simply tell them that. Nothing more. Provide a direct quote from the legislation so they can look it up if they want to.
Sam Dash~~~"we almost lost our democracy and our constitutional republic"
Thanks for your service, sir.
Thank a vet!
Thanks for your service, sir.
Thank a vet!
I refuse to get nostalgic over wars past when I've got a nephew on his third tour of duty with his bomb-sniffing dog in the streets of Baghdad.
I've three brothers and a sister-in-law who served in peace and war for decades as officers in the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines.
I lived through my father's service in Vietnam, as did he, but he didn't come home without lifetime emotional scars and a nice entry into full-blown alcoholism.
I'm not at all willing to get starry-eyed about war.
War is chaos, death, and destruction. It is legalized, reciprocal murder.
I'd rather extend full benefits and lifetime medical and psychological support to those soldiers and victims who made it through wars past and try and figure out how to stop this cycle of nationalized violence than compartmentalize the concept into Memorial Day and Veterans' Day and continue to replicate the mistakes of the past.
I've three brothers and a sister-in-law who served in peace and war for decades as officers in the Navy, the Air Force and the Marines.
I lived through my father's service in Vietnam, as did he, but he didn't come home without lifetime emotional scars and a nice entry into full-blown alcoholism.
I'm not at all willing to get starry-eyed about war.
War is chaos, death, and destruction. It is legalized, reciprocal murder.
I'd rather extend full benefits and lifetime medical and psychological support to those soldiers and victims who made it through wars past and try and figure out how to stop this cycle of nationalized violence than compartmentalize the concept into Memorial Day and Veterans' Day and continue to replicate the mistakes of the past.
What a fantastic photogragh. You can see the threads in his tunic!
I know - it's an incredible photo, and there are SO many more.
I spent hours today just going through a few of my grandmother's scrapbooks. There's also a photo album of one of her relatives (uncle? cousin? I'm not sure) who was a foreign correspondent.
The pictures ones he took in Japan in the early 1900's.
Amazing.
I spent hours today just going through a few of my grandmother's scrapbooks. There's also a photo album of one of her relatives (uncle? cousin? I'm not sure) who was a foreign correspondent.
The pictures ones he took in Japan in the early 1900's.
Amazing.
As we sit with plans for a new draft quietly working their way to the surface, it's interesting to remember something Rumsfield actually said some months ago regarding Nam and other wars where the draft was prevalent.
------------------------------------------------
"If you think back to when we had the draft, people were brought in; they were paid some fraction of what they could make in the civilian manpower market because they were without choices. Big categories were exempted -- people that were in college, people that were teaching, people that were married. It varied from time to time, but there were all kinds of exemptions. And what was left was sucked into the intake, trained for a period of months,and then went out, adding no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services over any sustained period of time..."
--------------------------------------------------Tell me that doesn't drip contempt for the unlucky chosen who ended fighting and dying for this country. When you think about it in the context of some other things this guy has done, you have to wonder why this guy is still in any office. But as he said some weeks ago after his visit to the infamous camp Sex-you-up (aka Aru Ghraib prison), "I'm a survivor".
------------------------------------------------
"If you think back to when we had the draft, people were brought in; they were paid some fraction of what they could make in the civilian manpower market because they were without choices. Big categories were exempted -- people that were in college, people that were teaching, people that were married. It varied from time to time, but there were all kinds of exemptions. And what was left was sucked into the intake, trained for a period of months,and then went out, adding no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services over any sustained period of time..."
--------------------------------------------------Tell me that doesn't drip contempt for the unlucky chosen who ended fighting and dying for this country. When you think about it in the context of some other things this guy has done, you have to wonder why this guy is still in any office. But as he said some weeks ago after his visit to the infamous camp Sex-you-up (aka Aru Ghraib prison), "I'm a survivor".
Posted by Dardango at June 1, 2004 12:45 AM
That Rummy quote is nothing short of nauseating and infuriating.
Can you give me a source so I can reference it?
Click my name to e-mail me.
That Rummy quote is nothing short of nauseating and infuriating.
Can you give me a source so I can reference it?
Click my name to e-mail me.
Posted by puddleriver in WV at June 1, 2004 01:06 AM
Thanks!
Geez, the dumbass just talks in circles on that link.
Thanks!
Geez, the dumbass just talks in circles on that link.
He *is* just a fine piece of werk, isn't he? Him and old "Fungible."
Don't feed the troll, as despicable as he/she/it may be.
Alison/Tanner - can the posts from 2:01 and 2:02 AM be expunged?
Alison/Tanner - can the posts from 2:01 and 2:02 AM be expunged?
Posted by mataliandy at June 1, 2004 02:06 AM
================================
Good morning, I thought I was all alone here. Other odd company showed up for why? Hope they get deleted soon. . . .
================================
Good morning, I thought I was all alone here. Other odd company showed up for why? Hope they get deleted soon. . . .
Hi Puddleriver! I've sent an email to HQ asking them to help out. I just woke up and thought I'd take a peek before going back to sleep. What timing!
mataliandy at June 1, 2004 02:16 AM
======================
ThanX! Maybe the river will be clear by morning. . . . Very quiet here tonight. . . .
Sorta sad and mournful.
Still, I think sometimes, it's well to be reminded exactly why we are working our butts off for regime change: look at what the regime produces!!
======================
ThanX! Maybe the river will be clear by morning. . . . Very quiet here tonight. . . .
Sorta sad and mournful.
Still, I think sometimes, it's well to be reminded exactly why we are working our butts off for regime change: look at what the regime produces!!
Scary, isn't it? Well, I'm back to dreamland.
Thanks for posting that article. Let's hope we can keep the ideologues from dissolving the remaining vestiges of the constitution, lest we find our own family members disappearing without a trace...
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for posting that article. Let's hope we can keep the ideologues from dissolving the remaining vestiges of the constitution, lest we find our own family members disappearing without a trace...
Keep up the good work!
Posted by mataliandy at June 1, 2004 02:25 AM
===================================
Too true. . . . Think I might as well slip slide away, too. A little stinky in here right now. Morning, Katie, LOL. Night all. . . .
===================================
Too true. . . . Think I might as well slip slide away, too. A little stinky in here right now. Morning, Katie, LOL. Night all. . . .
Beautiful poem puddledriver. Thanks for all of them.
Posted by Mahina hoku at June 1, 2004 02:39 AM
================================
Thank you back. Sometimes, I think they just fall into a hole. . . . So it's nice to hear. :)
================================
Thank you back. Sometimes, I think they just fall into a hole. . . . So it's nice to hear. :)
Aloha Mahina Hoku: Your link to the draft deferrment site did not work for me. Could you provide a url. Did you get to see Dean at the Dem convention?
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