A Veterans Day Tribute

[Guest ratchethack]

"You might not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." - Leon Trotsky

 

"War is cruelty and you cannot refine it." - William T. Sherman

 

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." - Ronald Reagan

 

"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half." - Sir Winston Churchill

 

"This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never

[Ryland3210]

On a clear and present danger from within:

 

"[The natural right to be free of the debts of a previous generation is] a salutary curb on the spirit of war and indebtment, which, since the modern theory of the perpetuation of debt, has drenched the earth with blood, and crushed its inhabitants under burdens ever accumulating." --Thomas Jefferson to John Wayles Eppes, 1813. ME 13:272

[John in Leeds]

"You might not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." - Leon Trotsky

 

"War is cruelty and you cannot refine it." - William T. Sherman

 

Ask those who died by the firing squad of their own side 'what is freedom?'

 

Freedom - what is it?

 

Does it apply to everyone?

 

Are weak, old or sick people allowed it?

 

Some gave their lives, most had them taken. Conscription, the Draft - freedom?

 

All the pomp, the flags, the speeches for the dead, yet we cannot even give the survivors the decent life, care and respect they deserve and have truly earned.

[Guest ratchethack]

Ask those who died by the firing squad of their own side 'what is freedom?'

The dead cannot answer. But the memories of the millions who died under the heel of tyranny, and those who gave their lives honorably fighting against the absolute dominion of tyranny over the rest of us live on.

 

Ask those millions around the world today who are living, owing their very lives to the cause of freedom, who came to understand what freedom means through liberation from the grinding slavery of tyranny. Their eyes have been opened, even as the eyes of many of those born to freedom remain closed. Freedom was worth defending in my father's time, his father

[Richard]

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

between the crosses, row on row

that mark our place, and in the sky

the larks still bravely singing fly

scarce heard among the guns below.

We are The Dead. Short days ago

we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset's glow,

loved and were loved,

and now we lie, in Flanders fields.

 

Take up our quarrel with the foe,

to you from failing hands we throw

The Torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

we shall not sleep, though poppies grow,

in Flanders fields.

 

Lt. Col John McCrae

[joe camarda]

Ratchethack... thanks for the sobering reminders of what great men have had to say to their generations. It bears repeating and remembrance.

[BrianG]

Hail and hearty, those rough men who stand guard for our freedom, so that we can live and love knowing that they watch over us in the night......

[Guest Road Weazel]

So thanks, veterans. Thanks soldiers and sailors and marines and airmen. Thanks for doing your jobs and I hope you all come home hale and whole, every one of you.

 

Thanx for posting this, I appreciate it.

Weazel is really looking forward to getting home in a few months. Not because I don't believe in what I'm doing but because it's been a very long deployment for this Guardsman. I miss my wife, son, daughter and garage full of really sweet motorcycles. I miss my civillian job and wrenching on something that wants to be wrenched on, instead of these Miserable Fellatio Performing Pieces of Feces.

I believe in our mission here in Afghanistan. We have truly chased the tyrany away from these people and they are living better lives because of it. This comes from the mouths of the locals, not my trusty source of propaganda.

Cutting and running to bring everyone home quickly will only allow these oppressive dirtbags to expand their tyranny and host more training camps for dirtbags. We've got them backed up into the mountains of Pakistan for the most part now and it's true that some have been drawn to their teachings since we started kicking their asses, but they also have less room to move around now. Pakistan made the mistake of not stopping them from moving in (or allowing us to kick their asses on Paki soil after they did) and look where their country is going now. Stupid F'ers. The bad guys attack us because we are 'The cause of what's wrong in the world today' and because we're not (for the most part) Muslim. They are allowed into a neighboring country to keep from having their asses kicked and they start blowing up that country because they're not Muslim enough! These are just decent guys who are misunderstood. Maybe sitting down with them over some green tea will allow us to solve all our differences...

I appologize for the rant.

I'm gonna get some more sleep and dream of Guzzis and Large Women...

Weazel

 

P.S. RatchetHack - Love the avatar! Marty was the best!

[g.forrest]

And Freedoms just another word for nothing left to loose! and man woman and child shall bask in the sun lying with the lion and other wild creatures, in peace with no racism,hatred,dominance,nor fear, and everyman shall have the freedom of all his brothers and sisters of the human race, and all will be equal throughout the world, no one shall go hungry nor should they want for any other compfort and no man shall take advantage of any other, all will be equal in the eyes of god. and the world will be rid of all drugs of addiction and all shall be fulfilled. and when the land of milk and honey has colapsed, our saviores shall appear in thear circular flying vehicles and whisk us off to another place in the universe which we know will be so much better.

[dlaing]

And Freedoms just another word for nothing left to loose! and man woman and child shall bask in the sun lying with the lion and other wild creatures, in peace with no racism,hatred,dominance,nor fear, and everyman shall have the freedom of all his brothers and sisters of the human race, and all will be equal throughout the world, no one shall go hungry nor should they want for any other compfort and no man shall take advantage of any other, all will be equal in the eyes of god. and the world will be rid of all drugs of addiction and all shall be fulfilled. and when the land of milk and honey has colapsed, our saviores shall appear in thear circular flying vehicles and whisk us off to another place in the universe which we know will be so much better.

Is that what happens when you reach level 13 of that shoot'em up video game?

 

Well one minute left on Veteran's day.

Thank You all you vets for serving your nations

[stogieBill]

Ratchet - Thank you for remembering.

 

Weazel - Godspeed!

[Martin Barrett]

Today my travels took me to the Priory in Dunstable and I took the opportunity to reflect in front of the memorial there.

 

A long time ago I signed up prepared to give all. I perhaps naively believed it would only be in a necessary just cause, and that I'd be looked after.

These days there are things that are more precious to me, but for the sake of them I would if necessary, though I don't think they'd want me. I'd only ask that I'd not be spent cheaply, I'm not sure that consideration was given at the turn of the century.

Perhaps with age and experience I have developed cynicism and lost moral courage.

The one piece of disquiet I have is that there perhaps isn't the support system and funding to look after those who are injured and maimed or left behind. To me this is the breach of trust, it's all that is asked by those who go into harms way. It is different than those who are victims of crime or accidents.

 

 

 

My third sentence does not imply that I think our current "involvements" are unjust. There are flaws in the deployment but overall I still believe there is more good than bad. It was my belief at 19.

[Guest ratchethack]

On Veterans Day this year, I sent an email asking a friend and ex-Navy pilot what he thought about the popular

[dlaing]

On Veterans Day this year, I sent an email asking a friend and ex-Navy pilot what he thought about the popular

[jrt]

OK, I've been working a lot lately and haven't had time to look at the forum much. However, the results of this discussion were predictable based on the headline.

 

 

Guys (and you know who you are)- back off and play nice. Move to another topic, perhaps.

You won't change each other's minds.

 

I have to travel again for the next couple days. This is a heck of a semester for me.

jrt