Frank's Thoughts on Veteran's Day
At church last Sunday, all the Veteran's were asked to stand or raise their hands to be recognized before we sang God Bless America. I was the youngest Veteran in the room, and I am 64 years old. Now, to be fair, there weren't a lot of young men in the room. We obviously have a church going problem with younger men. We have a Veteran's problem, those who serve their country, among younger men. Take a look at the divorce rate. So, let's see, religion is collapsing, that's called serving God. Being a Veteran is collapsing, that's called serving Country. The family is collapsing. God, Country, and Family, not only are collapsing, but have collapsed. Remember that. We'll come back to it.
Fern's father, step-father, and all of her uncles are Veterans. None of her cousins or brothers are Veterans. Frank's father and all of his uncles were Veterans. None of Frank's brothers or cousins are Veterans. Notice a pattern here?
I'm speaking primarily here of men. If a man will not defend his God, his Country or his Family.... If a man has no respect for God, Country or Family, do you really think that we're going to have a rebirth of our society? I've said this before, and I will probably say it again. I don't think our once Great Nation, and our once great society will ever return. We use terms like the American resolve, and that pioneer spirit. Well, those are catchy little terms, and they might help sell pickup trucks during a football game commercial, but that's all it's good for. Because, look around, the men are sissy cowards that won't defend anything.
I would like to apologize to those that I have offended. If you have a negative comment, just keep it to yourself. I know everybody can't serve and everybody shouldn't serve, but we have more parents trying to get social security disability for their children in grade school than we have men standing in line to serve our former great country. We have more people that would rather sit at home and not work, and collect welfare, than they would to serve their country. See a few more trends here?
I understand what the III%ers are, and if you don't know what the III%ers are, you should. Look at our Veteran's Administration scandal. 34 years ago, when I first met Fern, I told her that if I am hurt, to NEVER take me to a Veteran's hospital. That was 34 years ago. Then last year, we find that the Veteran's Administration was spending more on new windows and desks, than they are on saving Veteran's lives. Shame! Shame! on the Veteran's Administration!!
For those of you that did not serve, and lap up the luxury of liberty, please scoot over today and let those that earned it, have a drink from the well of freedom. To those of you who served, and the families of those who served, Happy Veteran's Day. And for those of you that chose not to serve, please continue to stand with the women and children and holler, "Look at me! Look at me!" because that freedom was given to you by a Veteran, past and present. The ladies in the group that serve, my hat is off, my compliments. It must be very difficult being a female veteran.
Again, for those of you I have offended, I am sorry. For those of you that serve, Thank You. Happy Veterans' Day, all.
Frank
I'm speaking primarily here of men. If a man will not defend his God, his Country or his Family.... If a man has no respect for God, Country or Family, do you really think that we're going to have a rebirth of our society? I've said this before, and I will probably say it again. I don't think our once Great Nation, and our once great society will ever return. We use terms like the American resolve, and that pioneer spirit. Well, those are catchy little terms, and they might help sell pickup trucks during a football game commercial, but that's all it's good for. Because, look around, the men are sissy cowards that won't defend anything.
Beautifully said, Frank. Women libbers got what they wanted - an emasculated bunch of wussy men who no longer act as head of the family - that is, if they bother to marry the fathers of their children at all.
ReplyDeleteHello ,Adrienne. There has been a lot of change in the last 50 years, and I don't think most of the changes have been for the good of mankind. I remember a group called Promise Keepers. I wish that I could believe that things were going to get better. Thank you for your comment.
DeleteFrank
Hummm. First I have served, today I look around and I don't see The Jobs, I don't see Jobs for the men to be men, I see were being taken down the river and the women are name calling without being a partner in marriage, I see Divorce and running to the next Man for the $$$ ( that happened to me) My Ex refused to "help" create a better life for our family .. Just wanting more $$ so she could buy more, Where's the responsible Women?? Where's there part? I am under employed and that's putting major pressure on life .. I'm not on Gov social programs ... Or golden parachutes ?? I took great care of my kids of which are great citizens But where's the Partners (women)
ReplyDeleteHi T. Thank you for serving. Thank you for your thoughts. Yes, times are getting harder everywhere, many folks are either unemployed or underemployed, and many people are confused about what a marriage is or was. Yes, in the post, I primarily focused on men, but you are right, there are less responsible people, both men and women. I wish things were better for everyone. Again, thank you for your comment and thank you for serving.
DeleteFrank
Thank you first... Perhaps I'm Being sensitive to this. Sorry.
Delete(make a post about women Hahaha)
T, as a general rule, but not always, I avoid making comments about things I don't understand or have no idea about. Therefore, I will not being making a post about women. Hope you understand.
DeleteFrank
I remember who I thought of the first time I took the Oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic back in 1976 ...
ReplyDeleteI have a question.. how do you get that photo on top (of this blog) AND be able to put a caption underneath? I can go to the layout page and change the photo but that is not the same as you have here.
Hi, Rob. Thank you for taking the oath. So, who did you think of the first time?
DeleteFrank
Rob, one of the differences between your blog and ours is the template we use. Yours is Picture Window and ours is Watermark, so I don't know if you have the same options we do.
DeleteWhen I change the picture on the header, a "Configure Image" window opens. In that window there are three boxes: Title - which does not show up on the blog, but it requires me to put something in there; Caption - which is what you see under the picture - There is no place like home; Link - which is optional and I do not use; last is the area where I upload and change pictures.
I hope this makes sense and helps answer your question.
Fern
Thanks I'll take a stab at a different template! Richard Nixon.
DeleteHappy Veterans' Day! My men are still men. I am the daughter and daughter-in-law of pasted on veterans. I am the long time wife of a Navy and Air Force veteran. My step sons are active Air Force and Navy Reserve. My grandson is active Navy.
ReplyDeleteAn American flag is flying on our homestead today.
Congratulations! You must sleep well at night knowing that your men are standing guard. The flag flies at our house 24/7. The flag means something to us. Again, Congratulations! Thank you for the comment. Happy Veteran's Day to you and all of yours.
DeleteFrank
I am proud of my father, who served in the Korean War (conflict? Give me a break!) and my grandfather who served in WWI. I am also blessed to have several cousins who fought for our country (Viet Nam) and were able to come home.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your service, Frank.
Vickie, thank you for your response. Today is a special day for most Veterans, whether they admit it or not. I always enjoyed working with men that were Veterans, there was a special bond between us. I don't mean best of buddies, just a certain level of respect. Thank you for your comment. And, you're welcome.
DeleteFrank
Great and Honest post!
ReplyDeleteI just read an interesting article about how GMO and Glyphosate effect human hormones...this may seem unrelated but there is a whiff if strangeness to the new men and how many compare to what men were. Human fertility is plummeting and men are more androgynous all the time. It is getting hard to tell gender apart. At the ER the other night we were waiting and I could see a young person [20 ish] playing a game on their cell phone. I could see the hands but not the face....feminine long tapered fingers with delicate manicured nails. A man's name was called and much to my surprise this young person stood up. Could this be where we are headed if we don't pay attention to the world around us? I am so worried, men need to be men and women women..it is natures and Gods balance. How can we be a string society if the formative years are spent with no clear direction for morals and beliefs....sorry about the rant but you made me think too much!
God bless you both!
Fiona, thank you for your rant. There are lots of factors that are changing our society. I don't feel that it's necessarily just sheer coincidence. A number of years ago we started paying attention to the lining on the inside of green bean cans. It's chemical composition was very similar to estrogen. It produced the same side effects on males with an increased estrogen level.
DeleteNot only, as you elude to, we are seeing multiple disciplines, each one individually, anonymously attacking the male being. Combine these all together, and you have an altered male individual. As stated earlier, schools punish little boys for being boys, TV is an insult to the male, and many, many other fallen or ruptured disciplines. There are still good, solid males out there, but a lot less of them. Thank you for your extremely thoughtful comments. May peace be with you.
Frank
A major news media had an article listing 10 products that are basically not eaten by certain people: potato farmers didn't eat the potatoes they grew as they were doused with herbicide, pesticide, fertilizer, and fungicide; an Endocrinologist stated he'd never eat canned food, especially tomato products because the can lining was estrogen laden. I think he suspected it caused the increase in brain cancers in small children, too.
DeleteCan't remember the rest, but I got rid of our canned stuff. Potatoes are a luxury now, we grow them or only buy organic.
I, too, see a plethora of what we call girlyboys. It doesn't help if they put on their "girlfriend jeans".
Frank, this was a good post. Nice comments. My comment is not so much about your post, but what your post made me think about. Our society calls Veterans Day about our Hero servicemen and women. I disagree. Everyone in this world can not be a hero or "hero" means nothing (and that is where we have come to). People join the military for education benefits. That doesn't make them a hero. They join to see more of this country and the world. That isn't being a hero. They join to continue a family tradition or because the old man said to (or it used to also be a judge said join or go to jail). That isn't hero matter. Some join to get away from home (often, so they can do things they wouldn't or couldn't do at home). This is far from being a hero. Some were what we called "John Wayne" types. They were usually the first to run. They were not hero’s. I was a recruiter. I had a young man come down just before Christmas and he wanted to join and leave before Christmas. I finally found out he didn't have money for Christmas presents and wanted to get out of town before Christmas so he didn't have to buy Christmas presents. Was this being a Hero? (He made honor man ((number one))out of boot camp). Being in the military is not being a hero.
ReplyDeleteI must have misheard the radio a couple of days ago. I thought I heard that a CIVIL WAR veteran that has been dead for over a hundred years was getting the Medal of Honor for bravery. A hundred years after his death? Let's be real! That old Bugger doesn't give one hoot about that medal now! And truth be told, way back then, he would probably not thought himself a hero. He was just helping his buddies or "doing his job".
I had a follow recruiter that had a purple heart (A medal for being wounded in combat). A woman congratulated him one day for his purple heart. He almost went ballistic. He asked her if she knew what a purple heart was? He told her he had a purple heart because "he was a dumbas* that didn't duck quick enough". He had been wounded in combat, but didn't feel he was a hero.
Today the mayor of New Year called an ebola patient a hero. This man endangered a lot of people in New York, but he was a hero because he went to Africa. I am NOT trying to take away that part of his actions. I would even say courageous, but not hero.
Firemen are hero's. But a large number of them are pyromaniacs. They get off on fires. Again, courageous, not hero's.
Police are hero's. But, a large number of them are on an ego trip or power trip because they can laud power over you and yours. They killed pets in front of children, they "confiscate" money and possessions without due process, they will put Mom and Dad and children on their knees along the side of the road while they strip search the family van, they will use an armoured vehicle to collect a fine from an old man that has too many pallets, etc., etc.
My point is: Everyone can not be a hero!!! Being a member of an organization is not being a hero. That is a passive action. It may be courageous, but it is not heroic. Being a hero is an active action on the part of a person or persons. It is ACTIVE ACTION, it is not passive.
I am a twenty year retired Marine. Vietnam veteran. Three ribbons/medals. Not a hero. I am one of those dumbas* people. The draft (way back then) said my number was coming up soon. So I went down and JOINED so I wouldn't be DRAFTED. Now that is dumb. I joined for four years so I wouldn't be drafted for two years! I re-enlisted for the medical benefits. Not to be a hero. I got over my John Wayne days.
We all have our motivations. They are our reasons for doing things. Stepping outside of our comfort zone is approaching the arena of heroic. Not just our "being" there.
Thank you for your time,
Ralph
Ralph, very well put. There is nothing in your comment to disagree with. I hope a number of people read this, what you have said. Thank you for serving.
DeleteFrank
Well said Frank! and Amen.
ReplyDeleteShannon, thank you. Amen to you, too.
DeleteFrank
Amen.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leigh.
DeleteFrank
Frank, not joining the military after highschool is something that I (kind of) regret. My Dad and I had discussions about the military when I was thinking about it. He was drafted into the Vietnam War, but somehow got stationed in Germany for 3 years.
ReplyDeleteMy actual regret comes from not serving my country like I think that everyone should. However, when the government is acting as they have been for decades, my feelings on service get mixed. When is the last time we fought a legal(Congressionally declared) war? 1942. If the president isn't following the Constitution, then should I follow him? This is why I don't regret not joining.
Since we're speaking of legal wars, I certainly don't recognize anything authorized by the UN as a legal premise for the US. And the wars on poverty, drugs, and terror are abhorrent and should cease immediately.
BTW, this is not a complaint, and I hope it's not construed as a negative comment. It's just my reasons for not joining.
Cheers,
CB
PS: I support the troops and do not mean any of them ill-will. I wish that we would bring every single one of them home. However, I do not support the presidents and supporters of illegal wars nor many of the reasons that we have been at war for the last 6 decades. The only exception I can think of is kicking Al-qaeda's butt for 9/11, and that was accomplished long ago.
CB, thank you for your comment, and thank you for taking the time. Everything you said for your reasons for not joining the military, I agree with. But all of the reasons you stated were after the fact that you didn't join or serve.
DeleteI'm 64 years old, I can find multiple faults with our great country. It's easy to be an arm chair quarterback. But, you see, when I joined, I did not join because of who was president. And I did not join because of the policies of the Vietnam War. And I didn't join because of the future 40 years of what our government did. I joined to serve my country. And I didn't look for excuses why not to serve.
I appreciate your honesty, and I appreciate your articulate prose, but the young serve. Thank you.
Frank
Frank as I sat at church on Sunday and watched a video honoring our veterans I thought of my husband. He has served our community for almost 30 years as a police officer. I know most people don't like the police and how things are in law enforcement at times with good cause. But let me tell you that there are some great officers and my husband is one of them. He has had his nose broken by an inmate, most of his fingers are disabled from things like jumping over fences when it is 30 degrees outside, been shot in the leg with a wrist rocket from a teenager, missed most holidays with his family and never been disciplined for any wrong doing. As he says things have changed so much that he would never recommend going into law enforcement. To me he is the ultimate hero...a man's man that has never given me one moment to question his character. And I truly thank God for him daily.
ReplyDeleteHello. I have many thank yous, for you. Thank you for commenting. Thank you for sitting in church on Sunday. Thank you for being married over 30 years. And thank you for making a good choice to marry. There are lots of good men out there. There are lots of good police officers. I carried a badge for five years. Thank you, and thank your husband.
DeleteFrank
You have brought tears to my eyes. No one knows how hard it is to be an officer's wife unless you have lived it. And I am so thankful that you carried a badge. Truly. When you and Fern write, I can tell that you have the type of relationship with each other that my husband and I have, beyond all things he is the best friend a wife could ever ask for.
DeleteI think everyone who holds their hand up and takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of These United States is a hero. The guy that jumps out of the plane (my husband) didn't pack his chute. A hero did. The guys that made sure drops of supplies were loaded on the plane, the guys that ran the control tower that cleared that plane, the men and women who dropped the supplies...they are heroes,too.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather served the USA in Germany in WWI. When I did my ancestry dot com research, I found a huge number of relatives with our last name, KIA on the German side. They were all farmers and merchants, probably on the front lines, like my grandfather was while serving USA. I just thought it significant that he KNEW who was serving on the otherside, but he joined, went, was wounded and came home. HERO who raised five sons who all joined, my father a career man. I'm married to a retired SF, DIL of retired Army, mom to two Army vets. Our youngest son wants to be a Marine and help keep his buddies alive. How can anyone diminish this? My kids played Army just like both my brothers that were career Army. No one taught them this. They are all God fearing men, and have strong protection instincts. I thank God that HE creates warriors in the womb.
To anyone looking for a woman to be a life partner: they are out there. Don't give up. My daughter, a pretty nurse, age 40, bided her time to find a Christian man. They are courting. And no, I'm not biased, she really is pretty but had a hard time finding Mr. Right. Lots of women are looking. He's been married before, too.
Thank you Frank for this tribute.
Susie, thank you for your thoughtful comment. Just because there are a lot of people that don't serve, doesn't mean that there isn't a percentage of good men and women that do serve. You should be very proud in knowing that your family will serve their country. Again, thank you for the comment, and please comment any time you feel comfortable. Thank you again.
DeleteFrank