Something Was Missing

[papajoe222]

My wife and I just returned from an enjoyable trip to the Quad Cities just a few hours from Chicago. I couldn't shake the feeling that the trip, though enjoyable, lacked the makings of a memorable one.  The locks on the Mississippi there are winter home to many eagles that feed in the open water there. Pending snow and overcast skies kepth them away.  At the Princeton exit off I-80 stand four 150ft. high masts,one at each corner of the intersection, that fly some of the most elegant American flags I've had the honor to gaze upon.  As you round the curve heading west, they come int view as if from nowhere.The masts were bare on that day.

I never realized how much I look forward to seeing both of these sights on our frequent trips there until they weren't. That made me thankful for God and our servicemen and women, past and present, for the freedom these symbols represent. 

If you are gratefull for your freedom, I urge you to thank God if you are so inclined and every serviceman, women and veteran you meet. 

 

[gardnerjigman]

Amen

[Lund Explorer]

Great timing on a subject that I have been thinking about since reading the linked story this weekend. 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/sunday-review/please-dont-thank-me-for-my-service.html?_r=0

 

Mr. Garth has certainly earned the right to express his feelings, I'm just not sure how to reply to that sentiment. 

 

 

And just to be clear, this opinion comes from a peacetime veteran who never served anywhere more dangerous than the frozen tundra of North Dakota.  It was my choice to join up, pretty much my choice as to what career field I'd get into, and as hard as it might be to believe, I actually had Grand Forks AFB as one of the choices they offered me.  I don't think I have earned the thank you that many others truly have earned, I don't seek it, and feel uncomfortable when I do receive it. 

[Choporoz]

Wow, LE.  Thanks for that link!  It was huge and personal to me.  Mr. Garth, and especially Mr. Ritchel did a very good job of explaining exactly what I was trying to vocalize just this past weekend.  It is kind of spooky.   I really appreciate the link.

[Lund Explorer]

Wow, LE.  Thanks for that link!  It was huge and personal to me.  Mr. Garth, and especially Mr. Ritchel did a very good job of explaining exactly what I was trying to vocalize just this past weekend.  It is kind of spooky.   I really appreciate the link.

 

You're welcome.

 

The article came at a time when I was thinking about this issue as well.  Most of those thoughts were based on a book I am currently reading, "The Remains of Company D" written by James Nelson.

 

The book revolves around the authors search into the history of the men who fought in the battles of WWI as part of the 1st Division, AEF.  The search started around the time of John Nelson's 100th birthday.  On this birthday, John had received a number of birthday cards from people he didn't know, and would only later find out that they were connected to the families of fellow soldiers he had served with.  Even though the author had known this elderly gentleman for thirty some years, he knew very little about what he had gone through during that war.  He knew that he had been wounded in battle, had returned home to raise a family, but rarely if ever talked about.

 

Probably the most powerful statement in this book came when author stated that in his search for the heirs of these men, that it was easier to find memories of those who had died in battle than those that survived.  It seems that if a person had died that his family held onto every letter, every snippet of information they had on their loved ones.  In the case of the majority, who indeed survived to return home, that the veterans themselves made sure that very little information of any kind was passed on.

 

Fast forward to the future, and the soldiers in that linked article.  Perhaps the best thing we can all do is to give them respect they deserve for their own choices and the sacrifices they made.  If this generation of soldiers would just as soon put their deeds aside, then I think they've earned that right.  Maybe excessive displays of gratitude takes away some of the meaning of those words. 

[papajoe222]

As a Vietnam vet, I felt shunned upon my return and subsequently shame for volunteering during the height of that conflict. To me, a thank you from a fellow American is appreciated and IMO, long overdo. I also understand where Mr. Clark is coming from as my feelings as I fought reflected his. I wasn't fighting to protect the freedom of the American people, I was fighting for my brothers.

It wasn't until years later that I understood that in spite of the reasons for our participation, I had been supporting American values.

My personal greeting to other vets is rarely thank you. Welcome home says it all.

[aceman387]

Thank you for your service Papajoe. 

[clayton86]

Great timing on a subject that I have been thinking about since reading the linked story this weekend.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/sunday-review/please-dont-thank-me-for-my-service.html?_r=0

Mr. Garth has certainly earned the right to express his feelings, I'm just not sure how to reply to that sentiment.

And just to be clear, this opinion comes from a peacetime veteran who never served anywhere more dangerous than the frozen tundra of North Dakota. It was my choice to join up, pretty much my choice as to what career field I'd get into, and as hard as it might be to believe, I actually had Grand Forks AFB as one of the choices they offered me. I don't think I have earned the thank you that many others truly have earned, I don't seek it, and feel uncomfortable when I do receive it.

That's a much better version of a link I had posted last summer I believe I made it but it was the same concept about thanking a vet.

I actually had a similar scenario over the weekend at drill. My gunner and I went to get coffee and breakfast for the squad at the local coffee shop when a gentleman came up and bought all of our breakfast for us. After we got our order we went over and shook his hand and thanked him and told him he didn't have to. As we said our thanks a older gentleman had to be in his late 70s made the comment kinda snotty or resentful I guess but he says "I served my country to you know" and we turned and thanked him and went to shake his hand and he wouldn't.

Usually we will be offered to have our food paid for for us when we go out in uniform. We try to say our thanks and stop it and pay our own way but some times we can't stop it. The gentleman over the weekend was ahead of us inline and told the cashier that he had our order.