May 27 2009
Late Memorial Day Thoughts
I know I’m now a couple of days overdue, but I hope everyone that gets one enjoyed their three day weekend. On the other hand, we need to remember what the day is all about. It’s about the people and families who made the “ultimate” sacrifice serving our country. We really do owe them a lot, but for now, my thanks and gratitude will have to suffice.
On the other hand, there’s a lot of lost veterans that go forgotten. Watching In The Valley of Elah really drove this point home for me. We all recognize the sacrifice of the veterans who give their lives in service of our countries, and the sacrifices of their families.
What about those who physically come back, but who don’t ever really come back? The movie drove home the point that thousands of our young people go into the military (at an age where they pass from boyhood to manhoood, none the less) and come back scarred and changed by what they saw and did while fighting our wars.
To make it worse, because of the training we provide them, and the machismo culture of our society, and especially our military, a lot of them never really deal with these issues. They see things which most of us can never imagine, and are too proud, or too desensitized by their military training, to realize they need help.
They are also at an age where they may view the new realities they had to deal with, their new thoughts, their new fears, and their new attitudes as simply “part of growing up and being an adult.” We need to support these vets, and provide them with the help they need (for their own sakes, and that of the people they will come into contact with in civilian life). At the very least, we need to recognize that there are more than just the fallen who have sacrificed for our country.
Thank you to all of our military and veterans, both deceased and alive!!!
