[Grovenet] A Thanksgiving Thought

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

I volunteered too, in the same way, going into the Army National Guard
serving six months of active duty training followed by six years of active
reserve duty. I'm not sure I'd call it "volunteering" when failing to
volunteer would result in being conscripted to do the same thing, or
something worse. 

Even though it was something most of us would not have chosen to do, there
was a sense of pride in doing so. It was something one had to do if one was
an American. It's why those who did not serve for whatever reason were
looked upon as almost traitors to our nation (just look at the on-going
discussion about President Bush's service, or lack thereof). People who did
not serve became social pariahs who could only hope to find anonymity in
another community so they'd no longer be identified as the un-American
parasites most people considered them to be.

I can't say that when I served we thought Washington knew what it was doing.
Indeed, one lesson repeatedly driven home was that our duty to serve our
nation was independent of the stupidity of Washington politicians. I think
many, perhaps most of us, bought that idea: that our nation deserved our
service regardless. It was the price we paid to be called "Americans" and
the ideals of America that we supported would transcend the stupidity of
politics. 

That ended during the Vietnam war. 

Sometimes I wonder if the Communists were right. Is America an essentially
corrupt society whose citizens live like parasites off of the sacrifice of
others? Are the things we chose to embrace since Vietnam killing our
country: our abuse of our own soldiers returning from 'nam, our demand that
ordinary Americans no longer be called to serve our country, our fantasy
that one can enjoy the privileges of being an American without doing the
dirty work to protect our country and help our neighbors around the world? 

Ron D'Eau Claire 


-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of David Morelli
Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 9:59 PM
To: Forest Grove local interests list
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] A Thanksgiving Thought


I can actually claim to have volunteered ... for the Navy.  With a  
draft number of 42, I figured that the Army was looking for a few  
good tunnel rats, so some other branch of the service looked safer.   
Funny thing, not everyone thought that submarines were safer.

Pity I didn't qualify to fly jets in Texas.  No telling what I could  
have made of myself.  Bush pilots get to be President, Navy sailors  
get "swifted".

David

On Nov 24, 2006, at 9:42 PM, Alan L Domenghini wrote:

> I did not volinteeear almost 40 years ago, I was drafted, on my 19th 
> halloween  birthday party... and my dad said something I will take
> to my
> grave with me... "Happy Birthday, trickck or treat, and by the way,  
> here
> is your darfty notice"
>
> _______________________________________________
> GroveNet mailing list
> GroveNet at rdrop.com http://www.rdrop.com/mailman/listinfo/grovenet

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