Today is Veteran's Day, a day on which we honor those who lost their lives in service to this country. You may or may not be aware of it. My day started as usual. Out of bed, check email and briefly scan the headlines while I get my morning caffiene jolt. Neither on Netscape's homepage or MSN's was there any mention of it being Veteran's Day. In fact, nothing I looked at acknowledged the holiday. Perhaps television was a different story, but I don't get my morning news there. Only when I arrived later at the bank, did I realize it was a holiday. Myself and about ten others standing there like goofs trying to figure out why it was closed.
Later my mother called and told me that she and my dad were planning to attend a ceremony this evening at the courthouse in their little town. My dad is a veteran, having served in Japan during the Korean conflict. Conflict, one of many stupid euphemisms for war. They knew it was Veteran's Day. Why didn't I?
Why didn't the internet community, if you can call it that, not recognize this day? Is it that the majority of us are simply too young for it to be important anymore? As World War II veterans die off, will the significance of the day simply fade from our memory? That's sad, you know. It's unforgivable.
I'm not someone driving around in a SUV with flags flying all over it and my head up my ass claiming to be a proud American. I remember Viet Nam. I remember nightly body counts on the news. I remember Nixon. I want to cry as I hear the daily accounts of boys lost in Iraq. But what really scares me more than anything is the passivity of Americans. Not just the redneck types raising their beers saying, "Hell Yeah, I'm a proud American!" but more so the intelligent ones lifting their grande lattes and driving their 60K+ vehicles who are just too busy making and spending money to think about it.
Americans need to start thinking. They need to remember. Remember not only the people who gave their lives for the good and just cause but also those whose lives were sacrificed merely for political aims. I believe that Nixon was a very intelligent person in spite of all his malfeasance. The present Bush is nothing but a smart aleck airhead from Midland serving as a puppet for Nixon's old hawks.
Remember. Not only the ones that died 50 or more years ago, but also the ones that died yesterday and then think about how many more will die. Then think, for God's sake, think.
You bring up a good point, but at least two of my regular blog reads had posts about Veterans Day. I considered making one, but just didn't.
With a war still raging – major combat or not – I think it's awful how few American flags are flying now, and how few were flown especially on Veterans Day. Our temporary patriotism rings hollow when we forget the reasons why our flag and our country are special and worth preserving.
Posted by: Texas T-Bone on November 12, 2003 04:39 PM