Update:
Nasty Notes & Veterans Parking
Went to Home Depot today & noticed veteran’s parking spaces near the front of the store.
There is no possibility that I would use one of these spots.
I think it is strange that modern American culture sees veterans as separate & different from the rest of society.
I don’t think this was the case in the 60s and 70s- when it seemed like veterans in the community were seen as more of an average thing.
Not looking for head of the line privileges over here.
Meet some veterans who have become disgruntled Re: discount availability:
“Home Depot No Longer Honors all Veterans”
Well done guys.
Today- most Americans can repeat the “Thanks for your service” slogan and move on without having to involve themselves or family members in decades of undeclared wars in distant lands. This is just the way politicians want it.
If there is any quiet sense of guilt among politicians or people who never did time in uniform about all that- it can be cleared up by thanking The Troops for protecting American rights and freedoms, supporting The Troops, giving them discounts, being cool with them wearing field uniforms in public, not questioning wars that aren’t won, etc.
Spending just a few moments at major sporting events honoring the troops covers for cutting benefits for those who hung in for multiple tours in Iraq.
Discuss on facebook here.
Photo- Local harvest.
Love your perspective. We have had vets get angry because they were given a military discount by an employee. But came back and the manager said we only offer a senoir discount it was the employee’s mistake. I never really understood the militarization aspect of troops wearing their uniforms in public.
I think this may be some sort of post-Vietnam guilt at work. The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards ending decades of undeclared wars overseas.
Pro sports almost worships The Troops these days. Halftime sports announcers tell us that overseas military operations are somehow about American rights and freedoms.
I grew up in the 60s and 70s. Veterans were all around- church, school, Boy Scout leaders, family, the neighborhood, etc. It was all just an average thing. These folks weren’t seen as a separate part of American society.
People weren’t stepping over to say “Thanks for your service” to my Dad- who did time in the Navy in the 50s- but looked just like anyone else out in public.
These guys weren’t lining up for free dinner promotions marketed by major restaurant chains.
The worst of it is individuals who claim that Americans wouldn’t have the freedom to post comments on newspaper websites if people had not given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect that freedom.
Hey school teachers- where did this idea come from? Were US troops sent to Vietnam so that Americans could be free to send letters to the editor?
Is there any case in which the US Armed Forces have been sent to distant lands on a mission to protect freedom of speech?
Is protecting freedom of speech even part of training scenarios?
Thanks Skye. I appreciate your comments.
[…] at 9:47 on January 5, 2014 by Laurence M. Vance He doesn’t like them, or the militarization of American society. […]