Every so often I think it’s good to view things from a different perspective. In this case, I think we need to view things from the perspective of those who served their country and returned home with fractured bodies and in some instances fractured minds. When our military, returned home from Germany, Japan, Korea, France, and England, they returned to cheers and parades. They returned home in uniform and were honored – many wore their uniforms well after returning home.
As a young clarinetist I vividly remember playing in parades and recitals that honored our veterans. But then came the communist eruption in our streets that led to the public condemnation of returning veterans from Vietnam. I need not detail the insults military men and women endured at the hands of spoiled, rich, socialist draft dodgers, who were able to get draft deferments because their families could afford them, or because they were able to appeal to someone intervene on their behalf or were able to hide behind college deferments.
I will never overlook what malicious anarchists did to those who deserve(d) our highest praise, it is what those suffering from a socialist meningoencephalitis ushered in that deserves the greatest condemnation. But this rant isn’t about those more akin to that which lines the bathtubs in communal bathhouses – it is about the finest men and women America produces – I speak of those who serve our country free of any agenda other than to serve.
Our military has been made to endure much – including now being used as a tool by an administration wholly given over to the homosexual agenda, and its attempt to force what the normalization of sodomy and debauchery on society.
But it is those who return having received wounds that cost them appendages and/or disfiguring injuries that this rant acknowledges. You and I will probably never know what it is to be stared at or to hear comments that are as ignorant, as socialists that condemn our military are reprobate.
But true to their character and training these men and women find ways to survive. One of things that has caught my attention is the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team (http://www.woundedwarrioramputeesoftballteam.org/about-us.html) Imagine a team of Wounded Warrior Amputees who are able to find a release, and turn their thoughts of lost, toward thoughts of involvement. Imagine what seeing these military heroes performing at a high level, the nature of their injury notwithstanding, does for other amputees. Imagine how encouraging it is for civilian amputees to see that their lives are not ended, because of a loss of limb(s), and for them to realize that they can learn to live productive lives in a different way.
These Wounded Warriors have served in combat and now they are serving as ambassadors of mental and physical recovery. You and I need to support them and this effort. These men and women are those who make America great – they are not the classroom theorists who push anarchy, lies, and socialism. I’m proud of our military and I’ve been proud of our military since my earliest memories. I applaud their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families, friends, and loved ones.
Our military has been maligned by actors, the Obamas, musicians, John Kerry, and every other attention craving whore in the public today. They are used as props and agitprop, but our military stands with their heads held high as well they should. I salute our military and I encourage you to do the same. Find ways to say thank you to them and to their families and children.
The socialist apparatchiks can condemn them, but we are smart enough to know what our lives would be like if there weren’t men and women willing to sacrifice their all for us. OORAH MARINES – OORAH SOLDIERS OORAH.
Wonderful salute to our military! I have friends and family who serve and have served and I remember them always when I pray. The media should really stop already with their negative reports about the military because if it wasn’t for our soldiers fighting for our constitution we wouldn’t have the 1st amendment rights. So shut up bad press!
clara: the so-called professors and obama should stop attacking military…
Wow, Mychal! I signed on tonight all ready to chomp into another delicious rant whereby I could revel in your ripping to shreds those who fight to see our country become a communal dump as they bathe in champagne and liquid gold. I love your honor of America and condemnation of those who seemingly fight to bring Her down. Instead, I was nicely surprised to see a rant honoring those who, similarly, fight for love of county – more often than not, to the detriment of their bodies, minds and families. And you know what? If any of those warriors have an ounce of strength left, they often lie about the levels of their pain, hide their injuries and if they fail at that, they will find SOME way make it so that they can sign on to do it again! These folks are a different breed than most of us – and as you know from the article you were kind enough to publish – I married one. An honest to goodness Wounded Warrior, (and yes, he is both!), my husband who is old enough to be retired from one career of service, is looking at another deployment. It’s not that he *wants* to go to some Godforsaken country he may forever leave his body in – it’s that he feels it’s his *duty*. Sure, a lot of the younger enlisted are all fired up and excited to travel to faraway lands, but because there is no longer a financial incentive for people to enlist, more often than not, our military is comprised of the 30 year old plus Reservist husbands, wives and parents who have full careers and lives at home. I recall my husband (before his injury) talking about running and diving under humvee after humvee as the mortars fell closer and closer to his heels. He spoke of laying in the dirt under the last of his cover and praying for his family as he waited for the final one to land right in the middle of him. A virtual giant, in his 40′s, he was pretty busted up from his run for his life that day, but praise God, that last mortar never fell and he did make it home. It wouldn’t be the worst of his injuries, by far, but that example is just one moment one day in the life of every one of our thousands of women and men in uniform. Even those without exterior wounds cannot make it home, after seeing the horrors of war, without being shot full of wounds that are often harder to fix than a bodily wound. They are forever changed by a lifetime of nightmares. Wounded Warriors come in all shapes and sizes and we on the homefront must always remember that some wounds are unseen. So thank you, Mychal, for today’s Daily Rant, and thank you, Wounded Warriors, for your many sacrifices and service to our great country – you ALL Rock!
snoopsister: I admire our military and salute them…give your husband a thk you for his service from me…
And the sailors and the airmen! Oohrah to them all, the short and the fat and the tall. I served in Iraq in 2004/5 with the Air Force and am proud to have been a part of that. One of the EOD folks losts his arm to an IED, but thanks to the work of medical staff, he lived. My wife and I support the WWP now that I am retired from the military. A big Oohrah for Mychal for remembering those who serve in this rant.
Thank you for your service!! And be sure to thank your wife and family for their service on the homefront. As a military wife, I fully understand how the wondering and worrying about a loved one goes! Glad you made it back safe!
snoopsister: you echo my sentiments…
memett: thk you my friend….
And this is how the communists in charge will penalize our heroes for performing duties the cowards themselves would never do. Sickening.
http://patriotpost.us/opinion/arnold-ahlert/2012/03/01/making-military-families-pay/
t: how true…
Dear Mychal,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this truly gratifying rant. I see what look like boys to me, coming home as you describe, and I am as overwhelmed as you, to see them choose not to let what they have endured and scarred them, rule their lives.
Mychal, you are a rare American, a man worthy of the title, and what you have said means more to me than most of anything else I’ve heard recently. Each and every one of our Veterans chose to serve His or Her “People” as in “The American People”, and they did it out of love.
God Bless you for this statement of truth,
Sincerely,
John McClain
john mcclain: I’m just a man w/ an opinion blessed to share same…for what I pray is of benefit to many…that said i sow and trust the Lord for the harvest…
Thank you Mychal – my dad was a career air force man so I know first hand what the families go through. It was very hard on my mom, raising three kids basically on her own – and on the pitiful salaries these men and women get. The military is the one and only group of people I do not resent my tax dollars going to for any reason – they deserve our support, including our monetary support. Believe me, they don’t get much!
d. biddle: they deserve all we can do for them…and much more…my best to your father for his service…
Mychal> Thank You!!!! War is Hell and our country has endured in spite of those wars. Some who never went to war can’t understand why all the hoopla over returning Military, dead or alive. Those who cannot welcome home our vets are cowards of the worst kind. The next war that Congress or just Obama declares, I suggest all of the present administration – everyone on “The Hill” participate and get a real taste of what our Military goes through to protect this country. (Some are retired military and do understand) Military protects even those who defame our Military,Obama for one when he wants cuts to military personnel and equipment,and those who hiss and boo and chant during parades and funerals. The anti war criers do not have a clue! It is one thing to not agree to certain wars, i.e. VietNam, but to Not give honor to those who were directed into war was/is totally ignorance. (Returning Military from Iraq the same!!!) As a Red Cross volunteer in the main hospital on Okinawa, I wrote letters to families for airmen who no longer had arms and/or hands. It was a most heart rendering duty and I cried after each visit. I was one who did not agree with sending US military into VietNam. But I never once voiced my opinion because the Military follows directives. Those VietNam vets deserved the best parade possible when they returned from VietNam, alive or dead. Did they get a parade? And, I will never forget Jane Fonda visiting the captured troops in VietNam. She is more dispicable than I wish to write about. She may have been young, but she was a Hollywood misfit Commie and always will be in my thoughts. Then, to even suggest Jane Fonda as “Woman of the Year” – I wanted to spit in her face. And, to Dennis McCutcheon, Thank You! I, too, stand and applaud any on-board service personnel and in the airports. Each and everyone deserves that “Welcome Home” smile-tears and applaud of “Thanks!”
I too was one that didn’t agree with sending troops into Nam. Especially when I got there.
And bless you for your volunteering. You folks gave more aid than I think you realize. I honestly believe that a warm smile and a gentle pat saved more than a few lives. I saw you passing them out freely. I also saw the crying in the halls, What strength.
sumitch: agreed…they will never know how much many of us appreciate their service and sacrifice…
marilyn: well said…and you’re right…most will never know what war is like…especially the politicians and media who eagerly condemn our troops…
I completely support our military in the effort to stop the spread of evil, using whatever method necessary including waterboarding, snipers, and burning Korans, either within or outside of the U.S. As many in the U.S. sit back in the comfort of their own homes sipping tea while bad mouth the military, it is the military men and women who do all the dirty work.
However, I think the coruption has already infiltrated the military. Remember the Muslim Army Psychiatrist who open fired at his base in Ft. Hood, Texas, killing 13? His superiors knew he was a problem long before the incident, they chose to ignore the facts.
Shame on them. And shame on us for pretending everything is okay when it clearly is not.
I’ll always have a picture in my mind of the little civilian who brought an end to his killing. Maybe 5’4″ and a dead shot. Don’t never get no Texas gal upset. It’s a bad gamble.
sumitch: you can’t beat a woman who shoots…
joan dallas texas: I couldn’t agree more…well said…
The only federal institution still worthy of any of our trust is the military and our Wounded Warriors certainly have earned the gratitude and respect of all of us. My concern there is that far too many high ranking officers have become so politically correct and obviously more concerned with advancing their own careers than with the oath they took to the Constitution and “We the People” that they can no longer be depended on to do the right thing when push comes to shove. I do hope and have some faith that if/when that fraud in the White House tries to order them to suppress all who oppose him that there will be enough in the ranks that will refuse to comply with such unlawful orders as to make them ineffective. He is afraid of their patriotism and his aim is to create a hollow force. Why else would he be trying to cut the defense budget by about 480 Billion dollars and that is just for starters? All branches now have to consider RIF (reduction in force) and they are seriously discussing cutting benefits, including medical where they are proposing drastic increases in the cost to the soldier for premiums and co-pay, for active and retired as if it is our fault they have made such a mess. Our sons and daughters have volunteered to serve even knowing the risks and they are doing a magnificient job in spite of the stupid morons running the show in D.C. Of the supposed cuts in federal spending being proposed (which is a lie anyway) a far larger percentage of the DoD budget is taking hits than any other federal agency. Why do you think he says he wants to create a domestic civilian force equal in size, equipment and power to the military that would answer directly to him? (In case you don’t recall, he said that in a 2008 campaign speech in Colorado but of course no one had the guts to call him on it.) He is encouraging strife and conflicts all over the planet in order to “justify” keeping the bulk of our combat ready forces deployed over seas while out of the other side of his lying mouth he complains about how much those deployments are costing us. We are currently sacrificing our young men and women in the stinking arm pit of the world (Middle East) fighting an elusive enemy that adheres to no rules while our people are hamstrung by ridiculous rules of engagement that prevent them from fighting the way they have been trained and equipped to do because many of our “leaders” both civilian and military, are afraid to offend anybody. It is despicable the way the administration and the media attack and prosecute our soldiers for anything that can be wildly construed as offending the enemy. Are we at war or not? If not in it to win then we should not be in it at all and should pull out all troops, all equipment and all dollars. We must stop giving those corrupt governments billions of our tax dollars when we know they will stab us in the back at every opportunity. Beside all that I now think all our noble intentions of trying to hand freedom and democratic government to those people is a very expensive exercise in futility. The majority of them hate us and do not want us there and they are so steeped in their hate filled, ancient tribal rivalries and religious prejudices they wouldn’t know how to handle individual freedom even if it were possible to give it to them on a silver platter. Anyway, I could go on and on about that but I’ll spare you before I get too wound up.
But these are the same nations that are first to line up in the foreign aid feeding trough. Pakistan and Iran are just two that fight against us with one hand and pick our pockets with the other.
Vietnam was to fight against the spread of communism. To quote Dr. Phil, “How’s that working out for you”? As long as the involvment in Vietnam goes, my OP was within walking distance of where Kerry said he went into Cambodia. I guess it’s possible if the swift boats only draw about 6″. None of them that I saw were anywhere near that shallow. I’m guessing he “misremembered”.
And now we are fighting against the spread of terrorism and as it was in Nam, the politicians are screwing it up. We need to turn a few General Swartzkoff’s loose on them. “The job of the Army is to kill people and break things”, Not play ambassador.
“Misremembered” ?? Sumitch, you are much too tactful and generous but then I am sure you know that. About the only thing kerry did not “misremember” about his adventures as a self-proclaimed war hero in Viet Nam is that he was only there four months. He and Hanoi Jane are two of a kind – both were and are liars and traitors. A senator re-elected how many times now then the democrats’ knight in shining armor for president! And Hanoi Jane for “Woman of the Year”? Just what does that say about the judgment of too many people in this country. H**l, no wonder we are going down the tube.
sumitch: hard to stop spread of communism when we have communists in office…
wakinyan: your first sentence says it all…
And now Comrade Obummer wants to increase the medical costs for our sercvice men. Is it now time for our military to act like the do in Egypt ( the free state created by our Comrade in Charge0. The man doesn’t even deserve being called a man.
And do you remember Doug, early in his term; he wanted the military volunteers to carry their own insurance? I don’t have the exact words, but when the roar of disapproval was heard and he backed off, he said, with a “straight face” and fingers crossed behind his back something on the order of “I thought that because they were volunteers they would want to pay for their insurance”. I guess he though they wanted to bring their own tanks, gunships, Humvees and weapons too.
I’ve have the occasion to talk personally to several high ranking military over the last couple of years, active and retired, and when I ask them who they thought our forces would support if it came to it, the Constitution or the President, to a man they say the Constitution. And they understand exactly what I’m talking about. There won’t be 100% if it comes to it, but more than enough to let them know that we were there. These folks know very well that they do not have to follow an unlawful order, no matter who issues it. And the intelligence level is so far above what it used to be, I’m sure they understand what the Constitution says and means. These are great people. I’m looking forward to attending the “Red Leg” reunion at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma again this year. We get to see and hear the big guns bark and a couple of strategic missiles fired and to discuss issues of import. I’ll get to mingle with my brothers and sisters, new and old. It will again be I’ll have the occasion to talk to bird Colonels and Generals without wetting my linen.
sumitch: that sounds like something i would like to attend…
doug: he wants to increase costs to our military as his wife spends $15,000 for makeup person and has $50,000 underwear shopping sprees…
I am a Viet Nam era vet and we got to where we did not travel in uniform. Disgusting. I have been boarding planes now and over hear many people starting pleasant conversations and whole planes applauding our men/women in uniform. It is good to see and hear. Thank you Mychal for posting this editorial. May God grant us a worthy Commander in Chief… and soon.
And we knew why they took our weapons away before we entered any area with civilians in it. A few of us were just a tad nuts.
I still have my MIA and POW flags. Never will be able to shake the sights that I saw from the slaughter of our troops. One young alive private had his legs blown off. A little Vietnamese girl had walked up to him but he didn’t know she had a small bomb strapped to her. Our troops never knew who the enemy really was.
marilyn: you are right…it is one of the reasons that I condemn john kerry for his traitorous screeds against our brave men and women…they didn’t have the luxury of a paper cut making them a politician…
sumitch: that’s the truth…some of the crowds deserved to be pistol whipped…
Thank you for your sacrifices – there are some of us who appreciate it more than words can express. God bless you.
d. biddle: thk you I appreciate your comments…
dennis mccutcheon: it makes me sick and angry what was done to our Vietnam vets…