At the risk of insulting some of the readers of this diary, I am compelled to reveal my true feelings about the servicemen of this country. My father served in WWII and I always honored his service. However, the wars, police actions, and military exercises since then have not been in the true sense "required to preserve our freedom". Instead they have been waged largely to perpetuate the military industrial complex.
And for the past 50 years or more, war has been the biggest American export. We "do war" bigger and better than anyone else. And I'm not only talking about the enrichment of defense contractors, but all the other industries that connect to the military: banking, insurance, automobile, travel, clothing, sunscreen, toilet seats . . . the list is endless in the ways military spending drives our economy. As long as there are people in the world to kill - we will have jobs for our young adults.
So when we thank a serviceman or servicewoman for his or her service, what are we doing? Sure they volunteered for duty, but that was after viewing TV ads glamorizing military service. That, a poor economy, and no job prospects lure hundreds of thousands of young people to the service every year. As a matter of fact; the worse the economy is, the better it is for recruitment as job seekers look to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines as a "great way to start." It's not the bravery of the man or woman that encourages them to join as much as it is a practical means to an end.
And it's not a call to arms that is the attraction to duty. We don't have hordes of enemies trying to invade the USA, insert their government rule, and insinuate their culture on us. The closest thing to it would have to be border crossings from Mexico - and those people are invited here by businesses - hardly a hostile invasion. Why must we keep increasing and perpetuating this military economy? Don't we have other things to do - renewable energy, manufacturing, human services, education . . . ?
Considering this reality, my major attitude towards servicemen and servicewomen since WWII is one of pity. I realize that pity is not the sense that I am supposed to have toward them, but as someone who embraces reality, pity for the warrior is the only place for me to go. Those in the service have given their lives, limbs, blood, sweat, tears, and lots of pain. They have been used to fulfill the needs of corporate officials for decades. They have been paid for their service in money, although considering what many have been through it could hardly have been worth it. How do you pay someone for a leg or a life? Thank you for your service. Sure it's a nice thing to say, but the sentence has been adopted as a jingoistic expression used to pay back everything to the veteran who has given so much to our corporate overlords. I feel pity. I think a more appropriate phrase would need to include an apology to the veteran.
And as for honor? A posture of honoring those who have taken this job would entail a re-working of our need for national defense. We would have to stop sending them to be human targets occupying countries for political reasons not having to do with freedom. We would have to stop using them as political pawns to get politicians elected. We would have to stop using them to perpetuate the lie that we are in danger, only to enrich corporations.
Until such a time that we can accomplish these values, I will continue to feel pity.