Above: Occasionally looking for the Coupeville Ferry
US Armistice Day is now Ass Kissing & Propaganda Day. This trend has come on strong in the post 911 era.
There was a time in the early 80s where this was not the case.
I signed up in ’78. One year before high school graduation and heading off to boot camp.
US Armed Forces Were On The Back Burner
I had several buddies during my first enlistment. At Camp Pendleton, we would go out to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park to go camping for a night or two. One of the big reasons is we were not old enough to drink beer at the barracks where we were at in the 16 Area.
We would stand around a campfire and come up with some sort of question like: “Who is a Veteran?”
At this time WWII veterans were alive and well. Ditto for Korean War Veterans and Vietnam Veterans (Our bosses). None of us had ever been in a war and did not consider ourselves to be veterans or to have any business showing up at veterans organizations.
Always wonder if today’s traditional veterans organizations advocate for less in the way of undeclared/unwon wars. Would a move in this direction attract more new members?
Have any newspeople ever asked about this?
In the early 80s, the US Armed Forces were on the back burner. This was a good thing. Cold War peacetime stability was in place. No Thanks For Your Service, No free meals for Armistice Day, No head of the line parking spots at the grocery store.
As the decades of undeclared/unwon wars stack up (The Department of Defense track record goes back to 1949.) the greater the cultural urge to glorify people who do, or did time in uniform.
If there is an honest reason to send people away into decades of undeclared/unwon wars overseas let’s hear all about it.
Why do we pretend that the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization?
More here: Military Town – Hometown Pride
Veterans Day
One of the very most meaningful federal holidays for some. Stolen from Armistice Day in the 1950s. At that time, the US Dept. of Defense had started a decades long tradition of not being able to stay out of or win undeclared wars in distant lands.
It’s all about freedom folks.
Biden honors Americans who ‘stood on the front lines of freedom’ in Veterans Day remarks
CNN Nov 11, 2023
Sorry, no newspeople available to ask:
Mr President,
How would American freedoms today be any different if US troops were never sent to Iraq?
US Armistice Day has become Ass Kissing & Propaganda Day
Today, Armistice Day is free chow day.
Various big companies will remind us that they support veterans and The Troops. Do these same companies advocate for less undeclared/unwon wars? Maybe these big companies are more about expanding their marketing footprint.
The US Should Maintain Strong And Ready Military Forces
My take:
This may all be some sort of post-Vietnam guilt at work. The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared wars.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.
In terms of American rights and freedoms-The Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.
Veterans Day Assemblies
Each November, school teachers across America host Veterans Day assemblies– and promote the idea to children that The Troops are in distant lands-fighting for American rights and freedoms-as if the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
In Washington State, these assemblies are mandatory.
The VA tells teachers that The Troops are Defending Liberty and Freedom.
In the 60s & 70s I never attended a Veterans Day assembly at school.
There were none.
Probably enough veterans around to remove most of the mystique, or maybe those veterans thought it was all just an average thing and did not want to be seen as a separate part of American society, or get head of the line parking spots over at the grocery store. Maybe the concept of Armistice Day had not gone completely extinct.
Growing up in the 60s & 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.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Any elected official or retired elected official who tells us The Troops were sent to protect American rights and freedoms needs to explain how those rights and freedoms are any different today because US troops were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.
More here:
Ongoing Militarization of American Culture
Newspeople avoid asking:
If the CIA (est 1947) serves as an advantage to the US, why does the Department of Defense have such a poor record of winning undeclared wars going back to 1949, the year DOD was established?
Memorial Day Marketing Strategy
Any move to advocate for less in the way of undeclared/unwon wars?
Possibly of interest:
Goodbye Armistice Day – Free Meals, Deals and Discounts
Verbal Bumper Sticker – Thanks For Your Service
Most And Least Meaningful Federal Holidays
911 Observance Relates To Freedom?
The US Armed Forces – A Giant Civil Rights Organization?
Verbal Bumper Stickers – More Discussion Please
How Do The Troops Defend The Constitution?
The people of Alaska need services in the Middle East
The Troops Protect Our Freedoms
The country struggles with:
Generation Jones 1954 to 1965
