I Am a Veteran
I am a Veteran.
I am white, black, brown, and red.
I am from the country, I am from the city.
I am from up North, down South, back East, and out West.
I am usually from the working class, sometimes poor, but rarely rich
Sometimes I joined up because I want to fight but usually I am a kid who wants to work, to get money for school, or to have an adventure
I don’t want pity, I just want what I earned and was promised.
If I am hurt in service, I deserve adequate health care, both in service, and when I am released.
I want the benefits promised me by the recruiter and the armed forces, not spin, not lies, not homelessness, not drug addiction, not alcoholism, and not years waiting for VA claims.
When on active duty service I don’t want to be put in harm’s way for greed or opportunity, or to control someone else’s country, but to defend my country.
Service members who sometimes disagree with current policies, aren’t “phony soldiers”, they are Americans expressing their right to free speech. If no one can speak up against a government policy they disagree with, then we aren’t the same country that the founding fathers envisioned in 1776. Freedom of speech is one of the rights we fight for, I get that right too.
I don’t make policy, please don’t confuse the war with the warrior.
You don’t have to support every con man, liar, actor, and hustler that gets elected to public office,in order to love the kids who are fighting , and demand all the best for them, especially getting them out of harms way, no one wants to be the last one to die for war gone bad.
Please, on this Veterans Day, do remember the Veterans, the millions who have answered the call to service and are doing fine. Please also remember the Veterans who are homeless, are traumatized, are drug addicted, and are alcoholic. Remember the Veterans whose family life has been shattered as a result of the problems the Veteran brought home with them.
But please do remember also to not ask them to die in vain, or come back from overseas missing limbs for the greed of the rich, for the natural resources of another country, for lies, for spin, for human madness spun out of control.
Stop the War in Iraq. No war with Iran.
I am a Veteran
By Jim Ramelis
Viet Nam Veteran
- Jim Ramelis's blog
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i remember this post from last year and
...I still love it. Jim, Thanks for your many gifts to this country including your service in our armed forces. Peace brother.
Let us always remember our Vets
Jim,
Well said. I thank you personally for your service to our nation. May we always remember the sacrifices made by so many millions for our liberties.
But it seems like few remember. For too many, Veterans day is just another day without Postal or banking services. Yesterday I flew our flag on the front of our house. As always, we are the only one in our neighborhood to do so. Maybe others remember in more discrete ways, but I wonder.
My two older brothers served, one in WWII and the other Korea. I've heard that 1,000 WWII vets die each day. I heard yesterday that we have only a hand full of WWI vets left, that other nations have none left. 90 years ago yesterday the Great War, the War to End All Wars, ended. 2 million Germans, 1 1/2 French and more than a million Brits died in that terrible conflict.
Let us rededicate ourselves to ending all wars, that our global economy becomes so interwined as to make war obsolete.
Peace to you Jim, in your heart and in your soul. May all our vets find at least a modicum of peace while they live out the rest of their days.
Rich
Good Post on Veterans
Good post Jim on the veterans. It's good to remember not to confuse the warrior with the war, as you've reminded us. And for your plea to make sure these soldiers do not die for an unjust cause.
Angelo