You don't have to feel unpatriotic, and your fears/concerns are valid. It's part of it that many of us just kinda learn to accept, even though it's actually kind of outrageous. But going back to patriotism and service, I understand that desire, it's the reason I originally joined.
There are many ways to serve in a related capacity. There are many who are part of a care package program where people send stuff from home to those deployed. I know I appreciated it when that happened. It's not needed though. I'm just glad that our service these days are separated from the politics of it all, for the most part, unlike in Vietnam where those who returned were subjected to abuse.
Also, (for me this is a big one) we need to be more sober in what we deem are conflicts that are worth sacrificing our lives for. Today I see two war parties and they want to use us for any conflict they can think of in the world. I see my brothers and sisters dying in areas and doing missions that have no discernable or accomplishable goal. Don't support the Forever Wars.
Well thanks much for the kind words here, FishKing! :thumbs:
Yeah, it's not like my not serving is a huge overhanging life-changing regret. But for some reason as I get older, it's one of those things that gives me some regret that seems to grow. It's always there. Especially when I'm in the company of vets. This especially hit home when my son was considering serving, as one of his post H.S. options.
But I like your idea of doing something related, and never thought of it. So I've made my mind up to do something this year, and - believe it or not - I feel a little better already. Besides, for some reason I've always gotten along well with vets (& cops!). So maybe I'll get the opportunity to run elbows with some good guys, whose company I like.
I've got to say your comment concerning concerning the 'Nam experience, is an especially poignant one for me. I just barely missed 'Nam, and fully remember the bull**** that followed. We've got to remember the kids going to 'Nam were working-class, rural, and immigrant kids. Kids whose fathers, uncles, and grandfathers fought in Korea and the Big One. They went over in patriotism with a sense of duty, just like their elder relatives went before them. In my neighborhood, many were the sons of Polish immigrants whose families had lived through WW-II in Europe, and remembered America saving the world as we then knew it. They gladly went over to give-back, and to continue to participate and move forward our great democratic experiment!
It was the kids from the better neighborhoods and suburbs, the ones from families that could afford their university tuition, that largely made-up the anti-war movement. And when the blue-collar patriotic boys came back to meet the suburban university anti-war guys, all hell broke out! It was hell. Truly. The anti-war crowd guys thought they were the real patriots by showing the courage in refusing to go, and by burning their draft cards risking prison. Obviously, the blue-collar boys that just served felt
they were the real patriots. In addition, some of the 'Nam guys were trying to come to grips with whether Nixon & their government had deceived or used them.
I swear the scene in the corner bars in my neighborhood was bad news for the entire early seventies. The conflict between the "freaks" and vets was continuous, and often enough became violent. And the use of "baby killers", the ultimate anti-war slur, was used far too much and always provoked the violence that seemed to be desired.
I was strongly anti-war, grew my hair, and mostly hung with the college crowd once I started going to college myself. But my working-class roots and ethnic heritage was too strong, and when the **** was getting ready to hit the fan in those bars, I tried to stand in the middle in defense of the vets. I couldn't stand what the college kids were doing to them, even though they genuinely believed the vets were cowards by their not staying home resisting and "fighting"
against the war.
Anyway, thanks for bringing back some old memories. They're not good memories, but they're real and they give perspective. Wow! What a mess it was!
(Thanks for reading, if you got this far!)
