Veterans Day 2023

gmerkt · Nov 9, 2023

Nov. 11, seems like it comes around real fast now, year to year.

This year, I was asked by my granddaughter to speak to an assembly at her high school. Which I agreed to. She gave me a list of speaking topics and told me I had seven minutes. I can be a pretty chatty guy, so seven minutes didn't seem like much time. I wrote some talking points on the back of the instructions to keep with me.

Mrs. Merkt and I went out to the high school today for the assembly. It's a private Catholic high school but it's a pretty big deal in this county. In my experience, private schools tend to result in higher quality output, if for no other reason than people pay out of pocket money to go there. So they have motivated kids in this school. Not kids who are there because the law says they have to be.

Anyway, it was a nice assembly. They started off with a flag detail done by the Eagle Scouts and the senior Girl Scouts (I don't know what they are called), followed by the national anthem which was sung in beautiful harmony by a small choir with the band playing in the background. They had a slide presentation accompanied by several students who did a recitation. Next, was a medley of the service songs played by the band. Following that, two veterans spoke. First was a former US Navy sailor. Second, I was up and I stayed within the prescribed seven minutes.

This was a nice thing that the school did and I'm happy that some places still conduct these kinds of assemblies.

Bacchus · Nov 9, 2023

Very cool!

JustSomeGuy · Nov 9, 2023

Hopefully we, as a country, continue to make progress in recognizing and respecting the sacrifices made by those that answered the call of military service. Things are a lot better on that front now than they were when I came home from Vietnam.

Xaevian · Nov 9, 2023

On track to be the worst veteran's day in my life so far. Fun times.

Flopsweat · Nov 10, 2023

Xaevian said:
On track to be the worst veteran's day in my life so far. Fun times.

Will this brighten things up a bit?

Cavedweller · Nov 10, 2023

An old shipmate of mine sent this to me. I thought I would share. The author is unknown to me, but the subject line indicated it was posted on Facebook. So to all my fellow vets on this day:

We Are Veterans.

We left home as teenagers for an unknown adventure. We loved our country enough to defend it and protect it with our own life. We said goodbye to friends and family and everything we knew. We learned the basics and then we scattered in the wind to the far corners of the Earth. We found new friends and new family. We became brothers and sisters.
We had plenty of good times, and plenty of bad times. We didn't get enough sleep. We smoked and drank too much. We picked up both good and bad habits. We worked hard, and played harder. We didn't earn a great wage. We experienced the happiness of mail call and the sadness of missing important events. We didn't know when or even if we were ever going to see home again. We grew up fast, and yet somehow, we never grew up at all. We fought for our freedom as well as the freedom of others.
Some of us saw actual combat, and some of us didn't. Some of us saw the world, and some of us didn't. Some of us dealt with physical warfare, most of us dealt with psychological warfare. We have seen and experienced and dealt with things that we can't fully describe or explain. Not all of our sacrifices were physical.
We participated in time honored ceremonies and rituals with each other, strengthening our bonds and camaraderie. We counted on each other to get our job done and sometimes to survive it at all. We have dealt with victory and tragedy. We have celebrated and mourned. We lost a few along the way. When our adventure was over, some of us went back home, some of us started somewhere new. Some of us never came home at all.
We have told amazing and hilarious stories of our exploits and adventures. We share an unspoken bond with each other that most people don't have and few will understand. We speak highly of our own branch of service, and poke fun at the other branches. But we know that if needed, we will be there for our brothers and sisters and stand together as one in a heartbeat.
Being a veteran is something that had to be earned, and it can never be taken away. It has no monetary value, but at the same time it is a priceless gift. People see a veteran and they thank them for their service. When we see each other, we give that little upwards head nod, or a slight smile, knowing that we have shared and experienced things that most people have not.
So from myself to the rest of the veterans out there, I commend and thank you for all that you have done and sacrificed for your country.
Try to remember the good times, and forget the bad times. Share your stories. But most importantly, stand tall and proud, for you have earned the right to be called a Veteran.

gmerkt · Nov 10, 2023

Cavedweller said:
An old shipmate of mine sent this to me. I thought I would share. The author is unknown to me, but the subject line indicated it was posted on Facebook. So to all my fellow vets on this day:

Extracts:

We didn't earn a great wage. My pay as a private soldier when I joined in 1969 was $3.73 per day. Using the inflation calculator, that would be the equivalent of about $31.00 per day now.

the sadness of missing important events. I spent my first Christmas away from home in 1969. I was cadre in a training company; all the trainees went home over the holidays; the majority of the other cadre were married and spent Christmas with their families. We were in the WW2 barracks. I was the only guy in mine.

Being a veteran is something that had to be earned, and it can never be taken away. It has no monetary value, but at the same time it is a priceless gift. One of my former co-workers, Don Cimini, characterized military service thusly: "A million dollar experience that you wouldn't pay a nickel to repeat." Unfortunately, Don killed himself with a pistol about 15 years ago.

Try to remember the good times, and forget the bad times. In my case, the experience looks better in the rear view mirror that it did at the time. Although after I separated from active duty, I put in another six years in the Army National Guard, so it couldn't have been that bad.

Not as many veterans are being created these days. During the Cold War and the Vietnam War, total active duty military strength was 3 million or more. These days, the AD strength is under 1.5 million. I think in part because the cost of military labor is so much greater than it was when conscription was the law of the land. I think many young people today cannot imagine a time when the government could come along and order you into the army involuntarily. When the government had access to this kind of nearly free manpower, they could afford more soldiers.

Jasonanddeonna · Nov 13, 2023

Thank You will never be enough for those that served and especially for those who were hurt physically and/or mentally, or paid with their lives. I pray that the Lord Almighty blesses each of you and your loved ones. My family and I are truly grateful for your service.