{"id":106935,"date":"2020-11-11T07:30:39","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T12:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=106935"},"modified":"2020-11-04T11:25:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-04T16:25:08","slug":"edited-repost-facade-and-subsance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=106935","title":{"rendered":"Edited Repost: Facade, and Subsance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author\u2019s Note<\/u>:\u00a0 this is a minor re-write <\/em>of a previous article<\/a> posted about 5 \u00bd years ago.\u00a0 I thought it was apropos today.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

—–<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today is Veteran\u2019s Day.\u00a0 Well, this is my Veteran\u2019s Day article.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably somewhat different than the norm.\u00a0 Maybe you\u2019ll read it and think this is appropriate for today; maybe you\u2019ll think I\u2019m out to lunch.\u00a0 Or maybe you\u2019ll think I might be both.<\/p>\n

Here goes anyway.<\/p>\n

. . .<\/b><\/p>\n

Jonn wrote an article some years back regarding the now commonly-used phrase, \u201cThank you for your service\u201d \u2013 and how it rubs some people the wrong way<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 Poetrooper followed up a couple of days later with his own article<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 Both made the point that this pop-culture phrase which is popular today beats the heck out of what we saw some decades ago.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard that phrase directed towards me a few times.\u00a0 And what Jonn and Poetrooper say is certainly true; t\u2019s far better than being cursed (or worse), or being treated like a leper, or being treated shabbily in those multitude of other ways those returning from Vietnam had to endure.<\/p>\n

But I guess you can count me among the curmudgeonly group.\u00a0 Having someone tell me that rubs me the wrong way.<\/p>\n

I guess it\u2019s because I find being thanked by complete strangers for doing nothing more than what I signed up to do . . . bothersome.\u00a0 It grates.<\/p>\n

I chose to serve.\u00a0 I knew what I was doing; my eyes were wide open at the time.\u00a0 Unlike many I was fortunate enough to end my service in fairly good health.<\/p>\n

To one extent or another, everyone who served has a variant of this story.\u00a0 Even those who were draftees had options: evasion, leaving, falsely claiming to be a \u201cconscientious objector\u201d, or outright refusal.\u00a0 Though many if not most would consider such acts dishonorable, they were still options.<\/p>\n

And yet with rare exceptions those who were drafted served. They too answered when the nation called.<\/p>\n

Why?\u00a0 It\u2019s called \u201cdoing one\u2019s duty\u201d.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Being thanked for that by a stranger just strikes me as being out of place.\u00a0 YMMV.<\/p>\n

. . .<\/b><\/p>\n

Nonetheless, for whatever reason some people apparently have a need to thank vets and\/or serving members of the military they barely know for serving.\u00a0 Its a free country, so I guess they can if they like.<\/p>\n

But as far as I\u2019m concerned, here\u2019s how they could better do that.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t require saying a word.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>Be a productive member of society. Raise your kids to be productive members of society also.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>Be honest and trustworthy; pay your debts; have a sense of civic duty, and of honor. Do the best you can to raise your kids to be the same.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>Be self-reliant; take care of yourself and your family. Raise your kids to be self-reliant as well.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>Help others in need, but in a way that doesn\u2019t make them permanently dependent. Give helping hands \u2013 not handouts.\u00a0 Teach this to your children by example.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>Finally, and perhaps most importantly: love and respect this nation.\u00a0 Raise your kids to do the same.\u00a0 And encourage them to serve the common good \u2013 in some capacity, as a civilian or in uniform \u2013 for at least a part of their life. Each of us owes this nation that much for the incredible gift of being free citizens.\u00a0 That freedom alone is worth more than any of us can possibly repay.<\/p>\n

If someone does those things . . . well, as far as I\u2019m concerned, that\u2019s the best thanks.\u00a0 It\u2019s far preferable to some halfhearted, mumbled platitude from a stranger.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d say doing that is also a fitting tribute to all veterans.\u00a0 Because I\u2019m convinced that if enough people do those things, the nation our fallen died defending will endure long after we\u2019re all gone.<\/p>\n

And that . . . matters.<\/p>\n

. . .<\/b><\/p>\n

Even so:\u00a0 some people nonetheless apparently still have a burning need to tell veterans, \u201cThank you for your service\u201d.\u00a0 So, let me suggest a way that anyone who feels such a need can do so that\u2019s IMO more apropos than offering some vet or serving member of the military they barely know or just met a halfhearted and trite platitude.<\/p>\n

More precisely, let me suggest two possible ways.<\/p>\n

Option One<\/u><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>Find a local cemetery, preferably one that\u2019s not maintained by a well-funded government, religious, or private entity.\u00a0 Visit it; find the graves of some vets who are buried there.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>In May of each year, set aside a few dollars.\u00a0 Use that cash to get a few small US flags, and maybe also the same number of small artificial wreaths or bouquets if you can afford it.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>On the last Monday in May – or on 11 November, if May isn’t a good option for you – go to that cemetery and look for a veteran\u2019s grave bereft of flag or flowers.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>If you find one that\u2019s bare, place a flag and flowers on that grave. Then mentally tell the soul\/memory of the man or woman buried there, \u201cThanks.\u201d\u00a0 And if so inclined, say a prayer to the Almighty for his or her soul.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>If all of the vets\u2019 graves are properly remembered, that\u2019s great.\u00a0 Keep the flags and\/or flowers for the following year.\u00a0 Or go to a different cemetery and do the above.<\/p>\n

Option Two<\/u>:<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/b>On that same last Monday in May \u2013 or, alternately, on the 11 November if schedule makes late May a NO GO \u2013 go spend some time visiting with an aged vet at a local nursing home or a VA hospital or elder care facility. On that day, he or she will probably be feeling both their years and somewhat down; they\u2019ll likely be reminiscing today about past comrades-in-arms.<\/p>\n

Why do this? Because vets now in their twilight years served well before most living today were old enough. You have them to thank for our freedom today. So, yes: doing something like this on Veteran’s Day is an appropriate way to remember all veterans.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also entirely possible they\u2019ve outlived their family.\u00a0 They just might enjoy some company, particularly if they’re feeling a bit down.<\/p>\n

If someone really want to say \u201cthanks\u201d \u2013 make doing one of these an annual event.\u00a0 Get someone else to join in doing the same. Begin a chain, then keep it going.<\/p>\n

Doing either those things would also IMO be a fine way to remember our fallen, too.\u00a0 Because without their efforts and sacrifice \u2013 along with the service of those aged vets now in their twilight years \u2013 we might not have very much today worth celebrating.<\/p>\n

. . .<\/p>\n

Just my $0.02 worth, and YMMV.\u00a0 I\u2019m guessing for some reading this it does.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m fine with that.\u00a0 It\u2019s still a free country.<\/p>\n

Anyway, I hope everyone reading this enjoys their holiday today.\u00a0 But while you\u2019re out and about \u2013 or are at your home, or the home of friends or family \u2013 please take a moment to remember the reason behind today\u2019s holiday. <\/p>\n

Remember: without those willing to serve, America would likely be a far different place today – if it existed at all. Forget that fact, and the future for our descendants might not so nice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author\u2019s Note:\u00a0 this is a minor re-write of a previous article posted about 5 \u00bd years … Edited Repost: Facade, and Subsance<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":623,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,118,217,170],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holidays","category-veterans-issues","category-we-remember","category-who-knows"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/623"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=106935"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106940,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106935\/revisions\/106940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=106935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=106935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=106935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}