Veterans' Day Grumpiness
Must have something to do with going out to hoist a couple with the Harrumpher.
It's Veterans' Day: the second day of the year on which it's now practically required to salivate over Our Heroes. The other 363 days you can ignore them (specially if they're not veterans of the current conflicts) or come up with the latest clever excuse to avoid giving them such props as day-to-day dignity, jobs, recognition of the after-effects of war, etc.
At the behest of my local veterans' officer I opened up my military file to see whether I had my medical board and original VA determination. I do. The latter still makes me flinch and avoid re-opening the case. "Nerves." Isn't that a nice 19th century diagnosis? Do I want to go through that again?
Look, it's too late for me. But it just breaks my heart that we have to have the same damn shit dished up to today's veterans that was being dished up in my time. Today's veterans aren't just figures on a screen to me: I've met some of them. We have more in common than not.
So thanks for the thanks...40 years late, but thanks. Just don't call me a hero.
It's Veterans' Day: the second day of the year on which it's now practically required to salivate over Our Heroes. The other 363 days you can ignore them (specially if they're not veterans of the current conflicts) or come up with the latest clever excuse to avoid giving them such props as day-to-day dignity, jobs, recognition of the after-effects of war, etc.
At the behest of my local veterans' officer I opened up my military file to see whether I had my medical board and original VA determination. I do. The latter still makes me flinch and avoid re-opening the case. "Nerves." Isn't that a nice 19th century diagnosis? Do I want to go through that again?
Look, it's too late for me. But it just breaks my heart that we have to have the same damn shit dished up to today's veterans that was being dished up in my time. Today's veterans aren't just figures on a screen to me: I've met some of them. We have more in common than not.
So thanks for the thanks...40 years late, but thanks. Just don't call me a hero.
Labels: Veterans' Day
posted by Uncle | 23:42
3 Comments:
Well, now, Rockbottom added $5 to cards for V Day only. How does that fall in the spectrum?
To borrow your phrase, harrumph. Dare we say we patronised the wrong bar?
It's only six months until Memorial Day (snark snark)
How about "Hero? Maybe. I forget."? http://bit.ly/vXJpDy
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