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brittneyjustis

- 3 years ago

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How would you thank them?

Every year I perform at the Shriner's military ball. I sing for them, and nothing seems to give these people more delight. I've been raised to respect veterans and what they do, especailly since my grandfather is a retired vet, and my dad is a marine. This year the ball is in my grandfather's honor. Maybe it is coming of age but he has shared more with me recently about what he had to endure for our freedom, while in Viet Nam, and I have come to understand more of what these men and women do for the U.S. I become very emotional every time I learn that another mother had to hear that dreadful news. How would you thank these men and women? Do you think they are heroes? I respect everyone's opinion, please don't disrespect anyone else. This is a touchy subject for some.

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are you specifically talking about vietnam? are you specifically talking about america? if so i can't answer this question. however, thinking about the two world wars, i think we can thank them by making sure - individually and nationally - that they never happen again. we can respect their memories by living a life of which they would approve. they died so that we could keep our freedom. they sacrificed themselves. we should not piss on their graves by abusing it or suffocating it.

Very few people join the military looking to become a hero. Good people put in bad situations tend to do heroic things. How do I thank the previous soliders, salior, marines and airmen of our country... I followed in their foot steps and served. I'm no hero, I never went to war, personally I'm not looking for thanks from anyone, I felt a sense of responsibility to my country so I stepped up and did what they asked me to do. My husband also is currently serving his country (I was honorably discharged right after he finnished basic training). I don't care what anyone thinks about war, I'm not a fan of the one we're in, I wasn't when I joined, but I enjoy freedom so I did my part to earn it. I don't care if you don't like war but don't ever disrespect the men and woman who serve. Most of them are just trying to make a life for themselves and their families, same as anybody else. Like I said, most people don't join up to be heros.

afterwards they are heroes. but when all this stuff actually happens, it's a dirty business. the stories make them heroes, but the stories are told the way it suits the veterans best. my grandfather is a 2nd world war veteran himself (he's 94 years old) and he told me his stories the way they actually took place. with all the blood, the dirt and he didn't leave out the parts about what people become when they're put under pressure. and SURVIVING is an evolutionary imperative, it doesn't make you a hero in my eyes. better trained (and armed) men have better chances, but luck plays a bigger role than we like to admit. and sure, the stories are interesting, but i don't admire the men that survived. i'm much more impressed by the men that sacrificed themselves for their friends. plus, war's wrong anyways. i heard a great quote once, but it seems inappropriate to tell it here. it goes something like this: "fighting for peace is like having sex for virginity". i might have cleaned up the vocabulary a bit, but i passed on the message. war sucks, let's party!

My father is a Vietnam vet. He gave everything but his life for that war. My life and the lives of my brothers have been shaped, in part, by that war. My father was a victim of a meaningless war. He thought he was doing the right thing, and his priorities were to get home and to watch the backs of his fellow soldiers. I can't say that I want to thank him for going to Vietnam, I wish he'd never gone. I don't think he'd want to be thanked, necessarily. But I thank him for being who he is and for doing the best he could with what he had. I wish I could express how tragic the story really is. He was a sensitive, soulful and naive young man going into that war, and he came back devastated. He will never get over it, and he carries it with him like a cross. I only hope to make his remaining years as joyful and meaningful as possible. I was a soldier, as were both of my brothers, and so I guess when I run into another vet, I don't think to thank them for their service, I normally just ask them about their unit and reminisce. War sucks, bottom line. The soldiers who have served in war zones would probably prefer to get back to the business of living than to replay the past.

with the vision Krishna gives Arjuna on the battlefield: you are eternal

I volunteer at the VA hospital when I can, I also give to their charities. I personally think the best way to thank them is to give them the things they need now--medical, therapy whatever. I get angry when money is plowed into "the fight" and there's nothing left for when they come home. I may not agree with the war but it's our responsibility to take care of those that were sent in the name of our country --and not a half-assed way either. The whole John Hopkins situation is the tip of the iceberg. I think polititians plan on one thing and then forget the rest.

I thank them by doing everything I can to promote the cause of peace, so that someday no one will have to die, or have his/her life permanently altered for the worse. Never again.

@brittneyjustis Keentuck

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I thank them by doing everything I can to promote the cause of peace, so that someday no one will have to die, or have his/her life permanently altered for the worse. Never again.

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with the vision Krishna gives Arjuna on the battlefield: you are eternal

I thank them by doing everything I can to promote the cause of peace, so that someday no one will have to die, or have his/her life permanently altered for the worse. Never again.

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