thedrifter
11-10-03, 02:31 PM
Just A Common Veteran
I’m just a vet, but wanted to let you know the feelings I have about veterans.
The Eleventh day of the Eleventh month on the Eleventh hour, the ‘War to End All War" was declared over. What was called World War I was officially ended. We all know it did not end all wars, it did not end wars involving the Untied States. As I write this we are engaged in a war. The one common thread of all of these wars is the Veterans.
These veterans are the men and women who have given to their country, some have given the ultimate, their life, but all have given. I sit here and reflect on what a veteran is and how he/she feels, and will try to give you a glimpse inside the high walls involved with the sacrifices.
My ‘war’ has come and gone, to give it a name, Viet Nam, however the name is just words describing a place and time. The feelings and emotions of war are something very personal to each and every individual who have participated.
War, at one time, was a glorious profession, men were trained from an early age to participate in it, trained from puberty in the arts and glories of war. There was a time that if your father was a warrior, you became a warrior. Time progresses, technology progresses, people progress. Many of the fathers who were warriors wanted to save their sons from the inner pain, and to some horror and terror, of the memories. By the time World War I came along, the glory was still there. Songs were written and popularized by the artists of the time. Posters and art reflected the glory of war, the warriors came home to great receptions, parties and revelries. The warriors came back to the ‘girl back home’ that they had dedicated their mission to, in addition to the dedication to the nation.
Sometime after World War II, this stopped. I have no finite reason for this, however, the glory of war ceased. The men and women that served came home to quiet train stations, quiet bus stations, quiet air ports, often met only by family and loved ones, sometimes not even that pleasure.
Toward the end of the Viet Nam ‘War’ the warrior was welcomed home to hostilities, groups of people who were against what the ‘War’ was about confronted the warrior, not the politicians who precipitated the situation we were placed in.
Each warrior handled this in his/her special way. We ALL rebelled in our own way, some passively, by keeping all the feelings of hurt deeply entombed inside their very inner self, a huge wall built around it to protect the feeling. This was to protect the feeling, so no one could touch it, stir up the hurt again, to be safe. Others took the feeling and used it as a weapon to become an even better warrior, I believe it was said once to turn the hurt and hate inside on itself to overcome it. Yet, others tried to understand it, to soothe it and heal it.
To understand how a veteran feels, you must understand the ‘common veteran’. What I call the ‘common veteran’ is the individual who ‘did his/her job’. This is not the ‘Hero’, (though every veteran is a hero of types) if you ask most veterans who the Hero’s were, they will say, ‘The Hero’s never came home’. The Hero is the one out of the thousands that did something dramatic and were noticed. The common veteran was the one who carried the rifle, drove the truck, fueled the aircraft, plotted the mission, pushed the paper, gave the inoculations, spent hours on guard duty, and directed traffic. In other words, the common veteran is the veteran who did the jobs that needed being done.
Hero's are not born or made, they are extraordinary people in unique circumstances that reacted in a way, usually placing their own being in danger to help others. Anybody in the correct situation could be a hero. Now in no way does this take away the glory bestowed on those who have honored themselves in these acts. I want to honor each and every common veteran who was not placed in a situation that resulted in such glory.
Every veteran I have talked to would have loved to have been glorified in some respect for the duties they did, and each and every one did go beyond the expected in whatever they did. Every common veteran would have given anything to have been the one to have saved others. Every common veteran wants to be recognized as one who made a difference.
The common veteran DID do that, and this Veterans Day, the Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour, I will take a moment and reflect on my contributions, and reflect on every other veteran who contributed. Each of these veterans is a hero in my book. Had they not done their job, I could not have done MY job, and my job contributed to those who eventually got the recognition.
I have my demons, as many others do. I have sleep sweats, I remember those that did not come back, both physically or mentally, I remember things based on smells, sights or sounds. I'm just a common veteran. I wanted to be a 'John Wayne' or 'Audie Murphy'. I never had the chance or circumstance, and to be honest, don't know how I would have reacted had I been placed in that situation, it would have to have been acted out and see, live die or be heroic.
This Veterans Day I will remember those Veterans of ALL wars, past and present. I will make it my goal to shake a common veteran's hand, hug a veteran (and not specifically a combat veteran) welcome a veteran home. In addition, I will make a personal resolution to greet and welcome back a veteran who may now, or in the future, be put in harms way, regardless if they are combat arms, aviation, support. Regardless if Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard. These people will suffer as I have, they will have memories that cannot be erased, have feelings that cannot be repressed forever, however, they will have one piece of information, I will be here, as long as I am breathing, to offer my shoulder, my hand, my ear, my vision to let them know they can speak, and know I've been there. Just as they have, I have been there, know the unlabeled feelings they have, the void in their inner selves, the inability to tell anyone, 'because they don't understand'. I may not understand the specific circumstance, but I do understand. I know the black void, I know the feeling of not being able to totally love. To cherish the feeling of another's touch.
As I close this article, I bring myself to full attention, my older body slower, coming to, my right arm coming up to a salute, a salute to the common veteran, to all veterans.
Before I go, just a few words to the families, your loved one may come home 'not quite the way he/she left'. It is true, they have seen and done things that have changed them, be patient, love them, love them as you have never loved them before, they will need every molecule you have to offer. They may seem distant, they are, and they have seen and experienced much in the time gone. It doesn't matter if they were 'in the rear with the gear' or 'out humpin the boonies' each will have changed, war does that, regardless of where served. This is the same person you allowed to go, and deep inside that same person is there, though modified somewhat. Love this person, love them like no tomorrow, do not let them become a statistic, as they will need everything you have to offer.
I guess I have rambled on too long here, feeling the negative feelings of being a vet, offering advice from the other side, I am nothing but a common veteran, one who has felt the blackness of being a veteran, one who still has backsliding to the darkness, one who can only offer an observation, and a salute. Thank You
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
I’m just a vet, but wanted to let you know the feelings I have about veterans.
The Eleventh day of the Eleventh month on the Eleventh hour, the ‘War to End All War" was declared over. What was called World War I was officially ended. We all know it did not end all wars, it did not end wars involving the Untied States. As I write this we are engaged in a war. The one common thread of all of these wars is the Veterans.
These veterans are the men and women who have given to their country, some have given the ultimate, their life, but all have given. I sit here and reflect on what a veteran is and how he/she feels, and will try to give you a glimpse inside the high walls involved with the sacrifices.
My ‘war’ has come and gone, to give it a name, Viet Nam, however the name is just words describing a place and time. The feelings and emotions of war are something very personal to each and every individual who have participated.
War, at one time, was a glorious profession, men were trained from an early age to participate in it, trained from puberty in the arts and glories of war. There was a time that if your father was a warrior, you became a warrior. Time progresses, technology progresses, people progress. Many of the fathers who were warriors wanted to save their sons from the inner pain, and to some horror and terror, of the memories. By the time World War I came along, the glory was still there. Songs were written and popularized by the artists of the time. Posters and art reflected the glory of war, the warriors came home to great receptions, parties and revelries. The warriors came back to the ‘girl back home’ that they had dedicated their mission to, in addition to the dedication to the nation.
Sometime after World War II, this stopped. I have no finite reason for this, however, the glory of war ceased. The men and women that served came home to quiet train stations, quiet bus stations, quiet air ports, often met only by family and loved ones, sometimes not even that pleasure.
Toward the end of the Viet Nam ‘War’ the warrior was welcomed home to hostilities, groups of people who were against what the ‘War’ was about confronted the warrior, not the politicians who precipitated the situation we were placed in.
Each warrior handled this in his/her special way. We ALL rebelled in our own way, some passively, by keeping all the feelings of hurt deeply entombed inside their very inner self, a huge wall built around it to protect the feeling. This was to protect the feeling, so no one could touch it, stir up the hurt again, to be safe. Others took the feeling and used it as a weapon to become an even better warrior, I believe it was said once to turn the hurt and hate inside on itself to overcome it. Yet, others tried to understand it, to soothe it and heal it.
To understand how a veteran feels, you must understand the ‘common veteran’. What I call the ‘common veteran’ is the individual who ‘did his/her job’. This is not the ‘Hero’, (though every veteran is a hero of types) if you ask most veterans who the Hero’s were, they will say, ‘The Hero’s never came home’. The Hero is the one out of the thousands that did something dramatic and were noticed. The common veteran was the one who carried the rifle, drove the truck, fueled the aircraft, plotted the mission, pushed the paper, gave the inoculations, spent hours on guard duty, and directed traffic. In other words, the common veteran is the veteran who did the jobs that needed being done.
Hero's are not born or made, they are extraordinary people in unique circumstances that reacted in a way, usually placing their own being in danger to help others. Anybody in the correct situation could be a hero. Now in no way does this take away the glory bestowed on those who have honored themselves in these acts. I want to honor each and every common veteran who was not placed in a situation that resulted in such glory.
Every veteran I have talked to would have loved to have been glorified in some respect for the duties they did, and each and every one did go beyond the expected in whatever they did. Every common veteran would have given anything to have been the one to have saved others. Every common veteran wants to be recognized as one who made a difference.
The common veteran DID do that, and this Veterans Day, the Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour, I will take a moment and reflect on my contributions, and reflect on every other veteran who contributed. Each of these veterans is a hero in my book. Had they not done their job, I could not have done MY job, and my job contributed to those who eventually got the recognition.
I have my demons, as many others do. I have sleep sweats, I remember those that did not come back, both physically or mentally, I remember things based on smells, sights or sounds. I'm just a common veteran. I wanted to be a 'John Wayne' or 'Audie Murphy'. I never had the chance or circumstance, and to be honest, don't know how I would have reacted had I been placed in that situation, it would have to have been acted out and see, live die or be heroic.
This Veterans Day I will remember those Veterans of ALL wars, past and present. I will make it my goal to shake a common veteran's hand, hug a veteran (and not specifically a combat veteran) welcome a veteran home. In addition, I will make a personal resolution to greet and welcome back a veteran who may now, or in the future, be put in harms way, regardless if they are combat arms, aviation, support. Regardless if Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard. These people will suffer as I have, they will have memories that cannot be erased, have feelings that cannot be repressed forever, however, they will have one piece of information, I will be here, as long as I am breathing, to offer my shoulder, my hand, my ear, my vision to let them know they can speak, and know I've been there. Just as they have, I have been there, know the unlabeled feelings they have, the void in their inner selves, the inability to tell anyone, 'because they don't understand'. I may not understand the specific circumstance, but I do understand. I know the black void, I know the feeling of not being able to totally love. To cherish the feeling of another's touch.
As I close this article, I bring myself to full attention, my older body slower, coming to, my right arm coming up to a salute, a salute to the common veteran, to all veterans.
Before I go, just a few words to the families, your loved one may come home 'not quite the way he/she left'. It is true, they have seen and done things that have changed them, be patient, love them, love them as you have never loved them before, they will need every molecule you have to offer. They may seem distant, they are, and they have seen and experienced much in the time gone. It doesn't matter if they were 'in the rear with the gear' or 'out humpin the boonies' each will have changed, war does that, regardless of where served. This is the same person you allowed to go, and deep inside that same person is there, though modified somewhat. Love this person, love them like no tomorrow, do not let them become a statistic, as they will need everything you have to offer.
I guess I have rambled on too long here, feeling the negative feelings of being a vet, offering advice from the other side, I am nothing but a common veteran, one who has felt the blackness of being a veteran, one who still has backsliding to the darkness, one who can only offer an observation, and a salute. Thank You
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: