fla4fun
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2006
- Messages
- 18,181
I agree. This idea gets lost sometimes, because people forget that the soldiers aren’t the ones making the decisions to deploy or not deploy, but they are the ones who put their lives on the line. It also makes it that much more poignant when some of them don’t come home. It’s okay to disagree with whether a country should go to war, but it’s also important to hold the appropriate people responsible for those decisions. Sadly, there have been times when the returning soldiers carried the weight from decisions they had no part in.There have been wars I was against in my lifetime, but I always considered it important to honor those who served.
We have had many, many members of my extended family, both male and female, young and not so young, serve during times of war and times of peace. Thankfully, although there were a few injuries, no one in my family or close friends paid the ultimate price. I still have family members serving on active duty around the world. I am grateful to them, and their comrades, for being willing to do so. It is something I would not be brave enough to do.
If I were to speak of one family veteran more than others, it would be my maternal uncle. He lied about his age to go to Europe and fight in WWII, and stayed in the military through Korea. He later reinlisted and went to fight in Vietnam when he was older so his son would not have to go. Technically, he did not lose his life in combat, but the chemicals he was exposed to during his last tour were what ultimately took his life a couple of decades later. He is the one I think about on a day like today.