Replies

Getting an early start on Veterans Day after receiving this press release in my email.

I don't think most people understand what a military career entails. Service members are voulenteers. Most of them serve because they love their country and are patriots. They submit to regimentation most civilians could neither understand nor tolerate. They are provided sub-standard housing, lousy pay, (some are on food stamps), they are separated from their families for long periods, they work long hours, 12 hour 7 day weeks occur all too often, they are on call 24-7 for alerts, their work is often dangerous, and they stand the off chance of getting their butts shot off.

Remember the Nam POW's? These were mostly officers shot down by the VC. They spent YEARS in prison camps suffering hunger, beatings, and horrible torture. Most of them came home with some degree of disability. Many of them also found their faithful wives had taken all the pay checks, divorced them, and married someone else.

For every member, there are often postings to goshawful places like Hopedale, Labrador, Incerlik, Turkey, Diego Garcia, or Buggeroff, Bosnia. They work long and hard for that retirement at the end, but if they get wounded, injured, or suffer other disability, the government confiscates part or all of that hard earned retirement Pay.

Absurd!

No President Clinton presiding over the ceremonies.
Each, in every way, things are getting better and better.