America, You Better Wake Up
Apr 24, 2015 21:49:49 GMT -6
Post by Moderator on Apr 24, 2015 21:49:49 GMT -6
America, You Better Wake Up
By Jeff Seeber
I have purposely delayed commenting about the incident in Panama City Beach, Florida last weekend until I had some time to think. I started receiving messages last Monday morning about attendees of the Warrior Beach Retreat being harassed by Zeta Beta Tau fraternity students from the University of Florida and Emory University who were staying at the same hotel. The Warrior Beach Retreat is designed to provide a brief vacation in Panama City Beach for combat-wounded warriors, their spouses or caregivers.
The students taunted and cursed the veterans and their spouses, spit on some of them and their service dogs, and urinated on United States flags. My immediate reaction when I read the first e-mail about the incident was, "Good Morning, Vietnam". Then, a profound and deep sadness began to set in.
When the United States sent troops into Afghanistan following the attacks of September 11, every Vietnam veteran I knew hoped that this generation's war would turn out differently than ours did. We hoped for a clear victory. That didn't happen.
We hoped for support from at least a majority of American civilians. That lasted for awhile and then gradually disintegrated.
We hoped that the heroes who died for this nation could be laid to rest by their families without having to worry about hearing protestors screaming obscenities outside the funeral home or at the cemetery. Were it not for groups such as the Patriot Guard Riders, families of the fallen from the War On Terror would have been exposed to the same additional nightmare that many families during the Vietnam War experienced.
We hoped our younger brothers and sisters would receive the veterans benefits and medical care they earned. That isn't happening.
And, we hoped that those who answered the call would, at the very least, be respected by those who could not or would not serve. Obviously, that's not happening, either.
What we have here, sadly, is "Good Morning, Vietnam – The Sequel".
Here in Minnesota this week, a highway sign honoring a Minnesotan who sacrificed his life in Afghanistan was defaced with spray paint. There have been numerous other incidents around the country, including vandalizing memorials, verbally abusing men and women in uniform, and veterans of Iraq and/or Afghanistan being harassed at various events.
I couldn’t help but notice when one of my Facebook friends who is a Gold Star mom posted a comment that read, "Grateful nation?" in a thread about the defaced highway sign. I sat here and looked at her comment for several minutes. I wanted to post something positive or send her a private message to offer some support, but she's right. I clearly remember making sarcastic "Grateful nation" statements to other Vietnam veterans throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.
We've learned nothing. History repeats itself once again. Maybe 15% of Americans give a damn about those who do the bleeding and the dying. The overwhelming majority of Americans want our military to stay on their bases and our veterans to stay out of sight once we are no longer needed.
Mark my words, the day will come when America is attacked again and there won’t be enough volunteers who answer the call because they watched how those who served in earlier wars were treated. The only option will be a draft, and that simply won’t happen. Good luck exercising your freedoms and your privileges when there aren't enough volunteers to stop the enemy.
“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”
America, you better wake up.
By Jeff Seeber
I have purposely delayed commenting about the incident in Panama City Beach, Florida last weekend until I had some time to think. I started receiving messages last Monday morning about attendees of the Warrior Beach Retreat being harassed by Zeta Beta Tau fraternity students from the University of Florida and Emory University who were staying at the same hotel. The Warrior Beach Retreat is designed to provide a brief vacation in Panama City Beach for combat-wounded warriors, their spouses or caregivers.
The students taunted and cursed the veterans and their spouses, spit on some of them and their service dogs, and urinated on United States flags. My immediate reaction when I read the first e-mail about the incident was, "Good Morning, Vietnam". Then, a profound and deep sadness began to set in.
When the United States sent troops into Afghanistan following the attacks of September 11, every Vietnam veteran I knew hoped that this generation's war would turn out differently than ours did. We hoped for a clear victory. That didn't happen.
We hoped for support from at least a majority of American civilians. That lasted for awhile and then gradually disintegrated.
We hoped that the heroes who died for this nation could be laid to rest by their families without having to worry about hearing protestors screaming obscenities outside the funeral home or at the cemetery. Were it not for groups such as the Patriot Guard Riders, families of the fallen from the War On Terror would have been exposed to the same additional nightmare that many families during the Vietnam War experienced.
We hoped our younger brothers and sisters would receive the veterans benefits and medical care they earned. That isn't happening.
And, we hoped that those who answered the call would, at the very least, be respected by those who could not or would not serve. Obviously, that's not happening, either.
What we have here, sadly, is "Good Morning, Vietnam – The Sequel".
Here in Minnesota this week, a highway sign honoring a Minnesotan who sacrificed his life in Afghanistan was defaced with spray paint. There have been numerous other incidents around the country, including vandalizing memorials, verbally abusing men and women in uniform, and veterans of Iraq and/or Afghanistan being harassed at various events.
I couldn’t help but notice when one of my Facebook friends who is a Gold Star mom posted a comment that read, "Grateful nation?" in a thread about the defaced highway sign. I sat here and looked at her comment for several minutes. I wanted to post something positive or send her a private message to offer some support, but she's right. I clearly remember making sarcastic "Grateful nation" statements to other Vietnam veterans throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.
We've learned nothing. History repeats itself once again. Maybe 15% of Americans give a damn about those who do the bleeding and the dying. The overwhelming majority of Americans want our military to stay on their bases and our veterans to stay out of sight once we are no longer needed.
Mark my words, the day will come when America is attacked again and there won’t be enough volunteers who answer the call because they watched how those who served in earlier wars were treated. The only option will be a draft, and that simply won’t happen. Good luck exercising your freedoms and your privileges when there aren't enough volunteers to stop the enemy.
“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”
America, you better wake up.