A nice remembrance, Tuskegee Airmen WW2 Options

[Hellfighter]

A brief noteworthy event;
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070328/us_nm/...men_tuskegee_dc

[pezking]

Great read, thank you.

Why are we always so late to honor vets? I live in the DC area and there are monuments up for about everything, but it still amazes me that we just put up the official WW2 monument a few years ago. Seems like that should've gone up in the 60's or something.

[)--S@B0T-->]

It's because back then it was performing your civic duty to yourself and your country and while it was and is a very honorable thing to do, (serve your country, that is) they didn't need something erected in stone to remember it by. They just did their jobs as their country asked them to do and then they went back to their lives.

Now-a-days we have to throw up a memorial almost before the event happens to maintain political correctness, or in some way heal every bleeding heart that feels slighted because they want to be remembered too, for EVERYTHING! Sort of like calling EVERYONE a HERO. After a while it loses some of it's importance in the language. Then you have to start assigning different levels of hero to maintain accuracy.

1. Military: level one hero
2. Military that never saw combat action: level two hero
3. Police and firefighters: Level three hero

and so on and so forth.

Anyway, it does seem that Vets really take a beating by the system. I'm sure they would rather have the money spent on vet health care and other beneficial programs rather than throwing up some marble statue that will mean nothing to future generations.

Anyway...............

[Cross of Iron]

Anyone who fought in a war should be given note for it,not years later,what is that telling people......put yer life on the line for your country men and country,but dont expect to get anything in return..yer right.

[pezking]

I kinda disagree S@bot... I have read so many accounts from vets that commented on finally being able to see a national monument attributed to what they accomplished as a soldier, a team, and a nation.

We've erected all sorts of memorials for the Civil War, Revolutionary War, WW1, Korean War, and Vietnam... just name a few major ones. So why the long ass wait for WW2? There's already monuments for the 90's Gulf War. Shit, technically... there are Reagan, Warhol, FDR, etc memorials all over DC. My point was... why did we have to wait so damn long for a WW2 monument or memorial when that was the last war where we actually came out on top, cut and dry, clear winner.

[)--S@B0T-->]

I kinda disagree S@bot... I have read so many accounts from vets that commented on finally being able to see a national monument attributed to what they accomplished as a soldier, a team, and a nation.

We've erected all sorts of memorials for the Civil War, Revolutionary War, WW1, Korean War, and Vietnam... just name a few major ones. So why the long ass wait for WW2? There's already monuments for the 90's Gulf War. Shit, technically... there are Reagan, Warhol, FDR, etc memorials all over DC. My point was... why did we have to wait so damn long for a WW2 monument or memorial when that was the last war where we actually came out on top, cut and dry, clear winner.

Well, there are many opinions on the subject. When I read accounts from letters sent into the VFW mag I receive (and I am a member), most always side on the point of thanks for remembering, but do something constructive with the dough for all vets.

When they interview a teary-eyed 80 year old Normandy vet on TV, he will say "It's about time"! That sells news! LOL! I guess everyone of us looks at it differently. Me, it's nice and all but I think the country could do alot more for vets than a stone reminder, that's all.

However, I mistook your first post and I do agree that if we are to erect such monuments why has it taken an inordinate amount of time to get around to remembering WWII?

What I meant earlier is that the vets of WWII were different. The times were different and most likely the people that were involved with that war weren't looking for anything like that at all. It was a different mindset then. Over time, the next generation and the next have raised the question "why not?"

Today, an event happens, we haven't even had time to digest the information and we are already making it into a movie of the week. Right behind them is the planning committee hot to raise money for the unveiling ceremony!

[Hellfighter]

The saddest thing I hear about are vets who end up homeless and/or wounded with no others' shoulders for them to rest their heads on. I agree with cross about 'all vets'. Of course we first saw this blatantly with US vets after the 'nam war and it was also very much the case with wounded Vietnamese army vets after that war too. A-Personally hitting me hard were the reported dozen or so WW1 U.S black vets who survived in Europe only to come home to be lynched at some point later on.
I suppose the best we can do as those who do respect the military participants is, even in general conversation make sure noone else puts them down, or permit politicians get away with casting them aside. It's like this current Walter Reid scandal for example. All the Dems/repubs in Congress are raving about 'how this breakdown could happen?!' and 'we never knew about it!', but they knew for years there were problems and even had hearings about it-but they didn't care to fix the problems... now that the issue is in the limelight, they suddenly give it the attention it deserved a long time ago.


This post has been edited by Hellfighter: 03/28/07 4:23pm

[suda]

"Today, an event happens, we haven't even had time to digest the information and we are already making it into a movie of the week. Right behind them is the planning committee hot to raise money for the unveiling ceremony!"


i agree with that statement, the World Trade Center movie is a good example. Nicholas Cage is a terrible actor too, so he ruined that movie for me. I know one day people will go "wherent you in that trade center movie?" before they ask " What happened on 9/11?". Sometimes people just dont give a shit about anything.

[pezking]

I agree, the country should be doing so much more for the vets than just a memorial. I got pissed off yesterday when the house was voting on the bill to send more money to Iraq. I'm all for more money going over there, but then they filled it with pork before they passed it. It's something like $100 million each for the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer. I was like, WTF? Why not use that $200 mil towards something else... cause all and all, we as tax payers are paying for these parties that the politicians hold to raise money for their campaigns. Spend tax payers money to make money? That shouldn't be right... and it especially isn't right to float that money into a bill that's for the soldiers overseas.

[)--S@B0T-->]

Pez and Hellfighter, I couldn't agree more with what you both have said. The politicians kill me! The Walter Reed situation is a prime example.

There's the VA trying to take care of veterans that need help. Add a war where hundreds of new veterans are now flooding the already overburdend VA system every month and the government proposes major spending cuts EVERY YEAR to the VA Budget. Freaking amazes me to no end! Yet, you see exactly what Pez has mentioned. Makes me crazy.

"Vote"! people say and make the system work for you. Unfortunately, the poor people (homeless vets) don't have a voice, because they can't afford a lobby, and there's no money in it for the rich to investigate the problem.

Damned sorry state of affairs, how we treat vets!

[Barkmann]

I think the government should do more for ALL vets of WWII

One of the problems i think is that todays government and most generations dont really know what a world war is like back 60+ years ago, so they take there time with the war vets. I talk to a handful of war vets that where in WW2 and some of my own family where also in the war, the stories i heard from them, man these stories will make you shit your pants and also make you cry. What i study from books and on TV is only half of the story, I learn more from vets them-selfs and I was happy that i talked to them. And give them my thanks.

Millions and Millions of ppl died in that 6 year war, and ppl today think the war in Iraq is bad lets hope we never have a WW3 in our life time or anyother life time....