Why would someone who served in the military dislike a holiday that honors military service? What am I, some kind of hypocrite?
More after the fold.
I don’t like how politicians take the holiday and wrap themselves up in the US flag to justify more war, try to lock in votes, condemn the other side for having a war, and to drown out any rational discussion of what the roll of the Soldier is. (this applies to BOTH parties)
I don’t like how the holiday is used as an “I forwarded some photos in facebook saying I liked US troops so I’m done for a while of having to think about the sacrifice the military makes for me”. (Super Bowl Ad - WE WON!)
I don’t like how the holiday is the only time people don’t degrade the military, treat military service like something only stupid people do, or as some kind of shameful choice.
I don’t like how the holiday reminds me of the people I knew who are now part of the 6,648 (and still a growing number). These are Soldiers I trained, served with, or just had common experience with.
I don’t like how the holiday reminds me of my friends who have been injured, physically and emotional, of family members who have been injured in past wars.
I don’t like how the holiday is used by businesses to show how much they like the military because of the high level of training and experience the have, but at the same time they don’t hire military vets for more than entry level jobs because that high level of training and experience “just does not translate” to the job.
I don’t like how the holiday is about the only time Soldiers are praised, the rest of the time they are portrayed as ticking time bombs suffering from “PTSD” (like military service related PTSD is worse than any one else’s so we need to use it as an excuse to keep Soldiers from owing guns off duty but still use them on duty).
I don’t like how the holiday brings out the glory seekers like the infamous Phillip Mark Thompson – Army SEAL (Army SEAL Team Member and Phony Vets of Foreign Wars ) and many others who suddenly feel it is ok to say they served in the military because they thought about joining when they were 18. (Half-way Heroes -yes, it is humor but very true)
I don’t like the holiday as it is used to justify getting into more wars. (Syria I’m looking at you)
I don’t like how the holiday is used to imply that the wars are over even though we are still fighting and losing people, but hey, no one is protesting and it is not in the nightly news about how Soldiers are not being given the equipment they need or the weapons to do the job or how their hands are tied. So the average person is forgetting the war in Afghanistan, down the memory hole with it.
I don’t like how the holiday is used to gloss over the 30% of all US Soldiers killed in the wars have happened under Obama’s leadership and implied that all deaths in the wars were Bush’s fault…but now its over thanks to Obama. (you know, just like Gitmo is closed)
I don’t like that we as a nation have turned Military Service into something that we give lip service to a few times a year but then discourage our children and others from joining. This holiday just highlights it.
I don’t like how on this holiday, I get thanked for my service. I find it awkward. I have not done anything, too many others that I know have done so much more. Some have not come home whole, both physically and emotionally. Others not at all. (MAJ Tory Gilbert, SGT Bowe Bergdahi). My Father was in Vietnam when I was born. Friends have been overseas when family members died and could not attend the funerals, weddings, graduations. The most I’ve experienced is the inconvenient status being in the field for training. How does my service come close to theirs? There are so many others who should be thanked before me.