Veterans Day, November 11

[Ducimus]

Accodring to this article
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21678030/

1 in 4 homeless people are vets.

I thought this was a good read:
http://armyofdude.blogspot.com/2007/...-part-two.html

My own 2 cents. By and large, the general public, unless they have someone whose close to them that is a vet - doesnt give a ****. At least i don't think so. Looking back at my own service years ago, i have to admit to msyelf, that nothing i did mattered to anybody or anything except to the people who were there alongside me. Like the song from Linkin park, "I tried so hard ,And got so far, But in the end, It doesn’t even matter."

People *say* alot, but they generally *do* nothing. When i see the yellow ribbons on cars, "support our troops", or "I support our troops", i laugh to myself and think, "oh really? do you now?"

Sorry, the thoughts this topic envokes makes me bitter.

[Iron Budokan]

I remember when I was little wearing poppies was a big thing in the United States. You see it less and less now....

[TheBrauerHour]

Thanks for the address, it gave me an idea!!!

I am having my students write thank you letters tommorow and Monday in class. I will then mail them.

[P_Funk]

The one day of the year my hardass grandpa sheds tears. Everyone seems to get a holiday for it but I don't see enough poppies on people's lapels. We trot out the vets once a year and give them a parade, but we don't seem to care to give them much more. Apparently the City Council of Vancouver rejected a proposal to give the Royal Canadian Legion a tax break. Apparently its their fault that they have money problems cause more vets are dying and so not paying dues and they're stupid for being a totally non-profit group.

Silly silly veterans eh? If only we cared to give them a REAL thank you for saving our society like.. umm... maybe caring for them? Apparently using them as a nice propoganda piece whenever we have the budget vote coming up is good though.

"Support the troops... until they're actually back home"

[Chock]

Well, here we go, a little tale about today. This morning I was coming out of the main railway station at Manchester Piccadilly, and it had been my intention to go into the shops in the foyer to find a collection box for the poppy appeal, so I could stick some cash in and grab a poppy to wear. Nope, no shops had one, but there was a veteran collecting at the main exit, which is a row of glass doors, about eight doors wide. So I head straight towards him and start slotting all the cash I had on me into his collection box, and chatting to the guy, and while doing so I noticed that there were lots of people actually changing direction on their way out of the station, to go through the doors at the extreme edges, simply to avoid putting money in the collection box. I actually stood back a minute later and watched this taking place. What a bunch of disgraceful ingrates, it made me ashamed to be among them. Talking about this with my wife this evening, she said she witnessed virtually the same scene in my home town that day, when she stopped to put money in a collection box for the appeal too.

Chock

[Rotary Crewman]

I'll be in Cyprus about to fly two battered Merlin HC3s back to England. Won't be in my ceremonial number 1 uniform, my flying suit will have to do.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

[Oberon]

Just something I thought of while I was taking photos down on the beach earlier after the surge we had yesterday.