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A 3/20/05 |
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The Politics of War and Peace
When you look back at the last century, you can see many times and places that our military has gone abroad to restore peace and free millions of people. There are so many factors that have affected our veterans through the years. Many would think that the commanders or politicians would be the ones with the most influence over them. The fact is that the common civilian has had as much an impact as any President in any time. Each generation has had different circumstances to deal with and greatly different public perception of their service to their country. The veterans of the World Wars fought great battles and wars against powerful foes on a global scale. Their wars were black and white, good against evil, us against them. There was no gray line. They came home to great victory parades and the adoration of a grateful nation. Other veterans have not been so lucky. Public perception that grew from misunderstandings over the conflict or the social era our nation was going through took from the veterans the gratitude they deserved. The men and women that served in conflicts other than the World Wars gave no less of themselves and sacrificed no less. But the public’s perception of them upon their return moved some to be silent about their service or to try to forget it all together. Some conflicts were quickly forgotten, others were looked upon with disdain for the men and women that served their country. This resulted in the atrocious treatment of some of our veterans. The Vietnam War was the greatest example of this. Go back in news archives or watch a 70’s or 80’s war movie and you get the distinct impression that every veteran of that war was a monster and never adjusted to coming home. It’s been three decades, and just a sliver of the respect and gratitude that was deserved has been put upon them. You can see a little of that attitude in the country today. A small percentage of our nation wishes to go back in time, to a day when it was cool to berate the servicemen who were risking life and limb for our right to speak freely against them. Today there are those that hate the military so badly they want them to lose this war. Some organizations only show the negative side of what happens in this war. If you look in the right places though, you can see both sides of the story. I thought it would be a good idea to try to bring just a touch of positive acknowledgement to those that fought and gave of themselves in these conflicts. Some are big, some are relatively small, but all were equally important to those that were sent around the globe fight for our freedom. I also found a website dedicated to listing a great number of organizations helping the troops today, from letter writing to sending care packages. The site is http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/ Check it out when your schedule permits! |
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End of this presentation — You may go to Introduction & Table of Contents for A Vet's Take or Home - Contact Us - Cold War Hist. - 91st SRS Hist. - Stardust 40 Mission Story |
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