This is always a weird holiday for me. Mostly becuase it is so widely discussed and rehashed in the media and this year it is even worse with all of the tweeting and facebooking that is happening. Everyone seems to be discussing the day and sending out their thanks to those who have served or who are presently serving in the armed forces. It's weird.
Sure, I appreciate everyone who volunteers and I think it's nice that people who didn't are thinking about them for a day or even a week; but, as a veteran the holiday always feels out of place. I'm not really the type of person who thinks having served in the military is something I should be thanked for. I joined the Army reserves while I was in High School (much to the chagrin of my retired Air Force dad) and then I entered the army as an Active soldier about one year later much to the disappointment of my older active Army brother and over the protests of my mother.
I initially joined the Army Reserves becuase I wanted to serve. I didn't think I would need the GI Bill as I was supposed to be getting a scholarship from the state of NY and I thought it would be a great way to help the state and country in times of need. No big deal really - we weren't at war. While I was in Basic training Kuwait was invaded and my older brother was deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of the 101st. He was there for the whole ball of wax that was the first Gulf War involving Iraq. I was deployed later; when the fighting was basically done to help keep the peace and other than a couple false alarms I had a pretty peaceful time there.
I left Active duty in Oct 1995. I was never shot at nor did I have to shoot anyone. The same held for all of my friends. It was a cake walk for me compared to what my brother, our father (Vietnam), and his uncles (WW2 or Korea I think) had gone through. The only time I was facing an armed enemy was when I found myself in the wrong night clubs at the wrong time in El Paso or Juarez. I started out in the army as a Combat Engineer (blowing things up on the ground) and ended as a Patriot Missile System operator (blowing things up in the sky). In general I just had fun, saw a bit more of the world, made some great friends, and accrued a great collection of stories.
Most of those friends stayed in the Army and I lost contact with them. I actually think about them and the times we had fairly often. More than likely they are senior enlisted soldier's leading platoons and companies that have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Hopefully they are all still alive. I have no way of knowing. I don't really think of ex-soldiers like me when I think of "Veterans" because we had it easy and we didn't really do anything to warrant everyone's thanks. Sure, we were in a position where - if needed - we would have - but merely lining up for the job isn't the same thing as actually doing it.
Today I think about all the guys who actually had to go to war. I appreciate their sacrifice and I hope those who are still out there keep their heads down and their spirits up until they can come home and join me in the safe life as a civilian. Thanks to you guys for stepping up when it was needed and not backing down - stay safe.
Veterans Day : A Strange Holiday
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Links o' The Day 2009-10-28
1 min read
- A way to get kids interested in programming without them having to actually do any programming. Instead they click pieces together to build their own games. pretty cool stuff.
#Del.icio.usLinks
Links o' The Day 2009-10-23
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- Track your resume online for free. It's a nifty little tool for seeing where your resume, globally, is getting the most views.
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Links o' The Day 2009-10-22
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- Audiobooks, ebooks, mp3s, and more all available for free download.
#Del.icio.usLinks
Freedom of Speech - No Exceptions
2 min read
Ok, there are some common exceptions to our beloved Freedom of Speech such as the "fire in a crowded movie theater" example but, in general, Freedom of Speech means you can speak your mind without fear of repercussions from the government; regardless of the topic. That one freedom is the cornerstone upon which the remainder of our freedoms stand. I don't care which of the rights you pick that are spelled out in the constitution, without the first amendment none of the others would still exist.
When President Bush (W) was in office I had to speak out against the efforts his administration made to curtail free-speech with such acts as "free speech zones". I had hoped that things would improve, in regards to our civil liberties, when President Obama took office but a disturbing activity took place recently that leaves me very concerned. The Obama administration, at the UN, has sided with a variety of muslim nations on the ironically named U.N. Human Rights Council to make an exception for freedom of speech for any "negative racial and religious stereotyping." Let me be clear, this resolution DOES NOT bring any laws into being which restrict speech - however it certainly gives nations that support suppressing speech ammunition to back up their restrictions.
President Obama had better make it perfectly clear that we, as a nation, do not condone suppression of speech regardless of the religious or ethnic topic being discussed. If he doesn't then, even without passing a law, he is implicitly supporting other countries suppression of basic human rights and that just isn't something we, the people, should be doing. Here are some additional takes on this, largely unreported, resolution.
- AP Story
- Reason.com Editorial
- Des Moines Register Editorial
- The Weekly Standard (perhaps the most extreme interpretation)