Big Dogs House

Posts Tagged ‘national guard’

Memorial Day

May 25, 2009 Political

On this day, I thought I might speak about our Armed Forces- it is a day for honoring and remembering those who have laid their lives on the line and sacrificed themselves so that we might remain free. Our armed forces have a storied history, and for any naysayers who are keeping count, there have been far fewer negative incidents than the positive and uplifting stories of bravery and compassion from our men and women.

My personal experience is not first- hand, as I missed out on being drafted in 1970 by one lottery number- I was, I had thought at the time, lucky- and perhaps I was. A person can wonder about what never was forever, and not get an answer. I was prepared to go if called, but I wasn’t happy about it. I was eighteen, and had other things on my mind at the time.

Many friends of mine went, and some didn’t return. Of those that did, they returned different. War does that- killing someone makes people think, and being scared 24/7 will do that also, because even on leave, the feeling doesn’t quite leave you, or so I have been told.

Other friends chose the National Guard, because those were your choices, join or be drafted, and as our Army Generals found out, a draft doesn’t work. People have to be of the right mindset to join, and those that do make better soldiers in the long run. I find it amusing that all through the Iraq war, one friend of mine, who had grown up at the same time as me was concerned about Bush reinstating the draft. I told him repeatedly that it wouldn’t happen, but he was worried about his son, who clearly isn’t Army material.

I have friends who went into the Navy- one still can’t tell me anything about his tours in a sub. Others went Air Force, and one was a Marine who was a LRRP for two tours- now he was scary, despite the fact that he weighed 145 pounds soaking wet. I once saw him take out three people at a pool table who were harassing him. Him I did not want for an opponent. We became fast friends, however- and a truer friend I have never had.

So the Draft Army became the Volunteer Army, and since has gone through several stages of shrinkage and growth, as politicians diddle with the Armed Forces, and, depending on the politician’s beliefs and prejudices, our Armed Forces have prospered or learned to do with less, but all the time have endured and protected us wherever they have been sent.

This is a magnificent force, one that has accomplished many positive things, and when you include the National Guard in the mix (as you must), these men and women have helped us at the cost to their lives and indeed at times, their families. They have been there to fight our battles, and they have been there to help in our disasters.

They are, indeed, our national treasure, one without whom we would be nothing.

Today, we should all feel pride, as well as humility, as we honor those who have fallen in all of our wars, as well as those who have come home to help make this country the best it can be.

Even though many of us disagree in the direction of this country, we should not disagree about the worth of the men and women in uniform, nor of their rightful place in our society.

Take a moment today and say thanks to a vet.

Blake

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Tags: air force, army, Marines, national guard, navy

Veteran’s Day 2007

Nov 11, 2007 Link Fest, Military

Today we celebrate Veteran’s Day though tomorrow is the day it will be observed. The United States is a great country because it has a history of fighting for what is right and for joining others in fights for what is right. Leading the charge throughout history is the American Military and the great men and women who serve in the armed forces.

There is no draft today and yet men and women step up to the plate to fight the war on terror and to prosecute our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan. These men and women are unsung heroes who are often forgotten until some crisis comes up requiring tough people to do violence on behalf of the protected.

We have the greatest military in the world and, unlike other nations we do not go around conquering countries and taking what they have for our selves. We help them out in their fight and we help them rebuild. Japan and Germany were conquered and yet they prosper today as allies of the US. Many others have us to thank that they still have a native language and that they have not become the property of another, stronger, nation.

Today we thank the men and women who give all for people they do not know in order to make this world a better place. We honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow countrymen. I read this definition of a Veteran at a site this morning: (Big Dog Salute to GM Roper)

â€œA veteran – whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve – is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The ‘United States of America’, for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.’â€ (Author unknown) Right in a Left World

Thank you veterans. May God bless you and keep you safe.

Big Dog