Althouse: "We don't wail when things go badly, nor blow off steam at every victory. The fight goes on, come good news or bad."

May 25, 2015

"We don't wail when things go badly, nor blow off steam at every victory. The fight goes on, come good news or bad."

Memorial Day.

17 comments:

Humperdink said...: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Acalotta reported missing in action in Vietnam since 1971. The 1969 Norwin High School graduate was a gunner on a U.S. Army assault helicopter that was shot down on Feb. 20, 1971, during a major offensive near the Laos-Vietnam border.

Classmate for 12 years. Still missing.; 5/25/15, 6:25 AM
Anonymous said...: I was there or close enough.

Operation Lam Song 719 in Feb-Mar of 1971.

We opened up Khe Sanh and attempted to cut QL 9 as it crosses Laos. The theory was that it was a South Vietnamese operation to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

It was a cluster Fuck on their end of the log (as you say in WI)...

We lost a lot of birds.

Here's to Absent Companions!; 5/25/15, 6:52 AM
Sebastian said...: "The fight goes on"

Except it doesn't.

I think we sorta kinda know why.; 5/25/15, 7:09 AM
Humperdink said...: For you Drill SGT. A sad read.

http://taskforceomegainc.org/a063.htm; 5/25/15, 7:14 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: ITEM ONE: There's a house a couple of blocks away from me. The guy who lives there with his family has a big flag pole planted in his yard, front and center, as if his residence were a military installation.

The American flag up top. The U.S. Marine Corps flag just below. They've been at half-staff ever since the Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia, a week or so ago

What used to be a symbol of a national day of mourning is now a way of saying "I HAZ A SAD."

ITEM TWO: There's a Harley dealership not too far away. Seems that about three out of twenty riders is a fat old man with a grey ponytail and straight pipes and an MIA flag on the back.

Perhaps it's some kind of a fashion statement, or maybe a good luck charm. I don't know. But one thing for sure, it's not bringing anybody back.

ITEM THREE: There's a fire station in the area. For the last several years there's been a sign out front "Remember Those Who Died for Your Freedom."

Is that an order? Well, maybe yes and maybe no, but it sure is false.

ITEM FOUR: A volunteer firefighter nearby died not too long ago -- not fighting a fire, mind you -- and there was a photo in the local paper of a bunch of middle-aged guys with mustaches, wearing blue jeans and the same T-shirt standing around holding candles.

Grieving, one and all, no doubt.

BOTTOM LINE: I could go on but you get the point. It takes considerable effort to keep Memorial Day as something special because so many people want to turn it into "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" for anybody with any sort of connection to the military.

My flag is out.

And the kitsch can go fuck itself.; 5/25/15, 8:12 AM
Pete said...: Yes, thanks to our military and those who have fallen.

But, Althouse, my Twitter feed has been full of such remembrances far better and far earlier than your post. Advantage: Twitter! Believe in it!; 5/25/15, 8:38 AM
Carol said...: I sure am tired of veterans being constantly portrayed as brokedick walking wounded, or time bombs ready to detonate. That Memorial Day service concert in DC last night was just too much. Too much cheesy sad-face sanctity.

What's really wrong is that there are not enough decent jobs for these guys when they get out. The service is the only steady job some of them they'll ever have. And now the media is teaching them it is all because War.

Or is this just a necessary by product of the vets groups' own lobbying for funds?; 5/25/15, 8:49 AM
Trashhauler said...: "My father was drafted into the Army after the end date of the war, so he was not, technically, a veteran."

Not so. Your father was a veteran, just not one of WWII. Like all draftees before and after, he served his country honorably. Their service might not have been dangerous, but certainly could have been.; 5/25/15, 9:14 AM
john said...: I'm with you Eric. This isn't veterans day, mothers day, fathers day, policeman's day, first responders day, independence day, scouts day, gay pride day, hero's day, or 7th inning God bless America day.

The latter is why I don't go to MLB games anymore (that, and the Diamondbacks suck anyway).; 5/25/15, 9:52 AM
Dr Weevil said...: My father enlisted in the Navy when he turned 18 in 1946. He would have been drafted into the Army if he hadn't, and he said he preferred a service where he could get regular showers.

Anyway, he had a WW2 service ribbon of some sort. Apparently the dates for WW2 service were broader than just the dates of actual combat. It makes sense when you think about it: helping occupy Germany and Japan after they surrendered was part of the war effort, though far less dangerous than the preceding parts. And a mere service medal counts for a lot less than the various combat medals.

As I recall, the WW1 memorial in Stratford, Ontario includes at least one soldier who died in 1919. Disease or accident or long-drawn-out death from wounds? If doesn't matter: if he died on campaign, it was enough to put his name on the monument.; 5/25/15, 9:59 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Not so. Your father was a veteran, just not one of WWII. Like all draftees before and after, he served his country honorably. Their service might not have been dangerous, but certainly could have been."

I know the term is used like that today, but I believe -- I could be wrong -- that there was a distinction made back then. "Veteran" meant you'd served in a war, not merely that you had served in the military. I don't know. That's the way my parents talked about it. They seemed to think it was something that she was a veteran and he was not.; 5/25/15, 10:31 AM
Etienne said...: Veteran - No, there's no distinction. If any, I am a retired veteran, which means I was a lifer.

When Vets get together they size each other up based on which foreign war they served in. For example Vets with Expeditionary medals join the VFW, and Vets who don't, join the American Legion. Some join both. If you're in the VFW, you drank other than American water.

For example a buddy of mine loaded bombs on B-52's in Guam, but he has no Expeditionary medal, so while he is a Vietnam Vet, he did not drink Vietnam water. Even still, he did a terrific job, and we thank him.; 5/25/15, 11:23 AM
vza said...: Great Memorial Day article:

Americans gave their lives to defeat the Nazis. The Dutch have never forgotten.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/americans-gave-their-lives-to-defeat-the-nazis-the-dutch-have-never-forgotten/2015/05/24/92dddab4-fa79-11e4-9ef4-1bb7ce3b3fb7_story.html; 5/25/15, 2:30 PM
joeknows said...: When I was honorably discharged in 1967 the VFW was not offering memberships to military veterans from the Vietnam era. Some things are hard to forget, so forgive me that I don't get all warm and fuzzy when I hear anything about the VFW.; 5/25/15, 3:28 PM
Etienne said...: joeknows - do you have an Expeditionary medal?

The VFW is different, in that not every Vet can be a member, but everyone can snuggle-up to the bar.; 5/25/15, 3:50 PM
Alex said...: I'm beginning to wonder what the hell those soldiers died for.

I'm sure as hell they didn't die so that liberals could tear down every institution that made America great.

But watch as Ann and other liberals spit on their graves and do a happy dance.; 5/25/15, 4:11 PM
Hagar said...: WWII "technically" did not end until 10 years after the respective surrender dates at the conclusion of the specified periods of occupation, which is why I have a "VE" ribbon and "technically" is a WWII veteran.; 5/25/15, 4:39 PM