tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8251755.post113771910442874772..comments2023-08-10T02:35:48.311-07:00Comments on My Sandmen: Releasing War RecordsMr.Atoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11531644043944267693noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8251755.post-1137780799659228392006-01-20T10:13:00.000-08:002006-01-20T10:13:00.000-08:00I am not a combat veteran. I never served in the ...I am not a combat veteran. I never served in the military. My experience with these matters comes primarily from my father (a former U.S. Army Signal Corps officer) and my grandfather (a former U.S. Army officer and Batallion Surgeon in the Pacific Theater during WWII).<BR/><BR/>Their service was honorable in our family tradition, but was VERY rarely a topic of conversation. Dad's uniforms, medals and insignia remained carefully put away in the closet, only to be brought out at the request of inquisitive and bright-eyed boys. My grandfather's, on the other hand, probably remain in storage to this day. He had no sons, inquisitive or otherwise, and it was a chapter of his life that he never discussed with his children or grandchildren - understandably so, for his job in service was to repair, immediately, quickly, desperately, the human cost of war.<BR/><BR/>All of the military men I have known - Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, enlisted, NCO, officer - needed a great deal of coaxing before they would discuss their military service. For some it was because they hated it or it bored them. For others it was because it was in the past. For others it was because they were simply "doing their duty." And for a small few, it was because the horror of war was too burdensome to relive.<BR/><BR/>Probably as a result of my experiences in this context, I don't particularly trust anybody that is eager to talk about the exploits of their military service, especially their awards. Awards received are just that - past tense. What matters to these fine men and women is the present - what you do with it. It is the content of character that matters, not the insignias on one's breast or the certificates of achievement on one's wall. How those experiences shape your character matter more than the world's recognition or the applause of men.<BR/><BR/>In regards to Mr. Murtha, or any other veteran in Congress: his history is what it is. "Because you served" is not reason enough to justify an opinion. Only who you are, the person shaped by events, can rightfully justify your opinion.dueler88https://www.blogger.com/profile/15936047536305626931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8251755.post-1137778328256488852006-01-20T09:32:00.000-08:002006-01-20T09:32:00.000-08:00Bravo Sir! First may I say, thank you for your se...Bravo Sir! First may I say, thank you for your service to this nation and on behalf of my family. There is pride in valor, and you have earned it as well as permanent and profound respect for the duty you have performed. It is a thing earned, not awarded as the Left would have us believe. And they will just as easily redact it when it serves their purposes to do so, as the Swift Boat Vets sadly discovered and as you might well find out too in forthcoming comments. Nevertheless, your demand is fully justified. <BR/><BR/>It is time that we stop awarding merit at whim... by race, gender, disability, preference, patronage, popularity or playlist. There is one standard of value for both Man and Woman alike... their sense of purpose and their allegiance to that sensibility. It transcends personal identity to place one's existence in context of a larger story in which one's role has significance beyond their presence on this Earth.<BR/><BR/>Purpose is not proferred nor pilfered, and cannot be found in a mirror. Which might be why John Kerry (and I suspect John Murtha) will never posess such a thing... and why they will never, ever matter.Mr.Atoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11531644043944267693noreply@blogger.com