A Day That Will Live In Infamy

Frenchman crying - June, 1940
He cries as he watches the German soldiers marching down the Champs Elysees. The glory of France has been ground underfoot by Hitler's goose-stepping legions. In a matter of weeks, the vaunted French army, the Maginot Line, and all of France's pride has been destroyed by the Nazi blitzkrieg. He is a middle-aged man, maybe in his mid Forties. Look at his tears, his tie, his nice suit. He survived World War One and looks like he has since prospered. And now? The night has fallen over France, and soon, all of Europe. He cries for the Twentieth Century. Picture and caption: http://www.acepilots.com

My wife and I took our kids to a museum here in town on December 7th a few years ago. While there, we had the good fortune to meet a WW II Navy veteran who had survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. We also encountered the famous WW II picture of the Frenchman crying. These two contrasting encounters taught my family a lesson that I want to share with you.

At the beginning of our tour I spied the aging sailor wearing a veteran’s garrison cap emblazoned with the words “Pearl Harbor Survivor.” I crouched down and quickly tutored my children on Pearl Harbor, WW II, and the man’s significance upon that historical landscape. Fortunately, the kids grasped the meaning of the moment and we approached the gentleman. A mellow, unassuming man, he treated our questions with kindness and received our thanks with humility.

At the end of our museum tour we came face to face with the elderly veteran’s polar opposite: the picture of the Frenchman crying. Many of my fellow Americans would probably enjoy hearty anti-French belly laughs at this picture. But I feel only a profound, heart-tugging sadness when I gaze upon that pitiable countenance. This is the face of a people who lacked the will to defend their freedom. This is the face that traded war and its attendant violence for subjugation and humiliation.

I felt just as compelled to introduce my children to the Frenchman crying as I did to the aging hero. I directed my kids’ attention to the picture and asked them to describe it. “He’s crying,” and “That man is sad,” were the answers I got. They could see his distress and wanted to know what had caused it.

I told them this is how you end up when you're unable or unwilling to fight for your freedom. I told them that if they were not prepared to risk their lives for their country, they had better be prepared to stand on the street crying as the conquerors march by. I insisted they study the picture some more, observe the pain on the man’s face, notice the tears running down his cheeks. “Remember that face,” I told them, “and may you never experience his misfortune.”

Reliance on Maginot Lines and international organizations provides a sense of security--up until the inevitable failure of such contrivances. Then, alas, it is back to blood and steel. Sadly, we are all too human after all.

The veteran and the Frenchman stand in stark contrast. Taken together, they remind us of two unyielding truths: The opposite of war is not necessarily peace, and freedom is never free.

He Was A Great Uncle

The numbers of WW II Veterans are dwindling and we just lost another one. My Uncle Lloyd passed on last Sunday. He fought in France and Italy but never told any war stories. But he could go on about the fun times he had at stateside bases before going over and after returning.

He came back a decorated hero. He also came back "shell shocked," but pressed on like a true soldier. He married his sweetheart, raised two fine children with her, retired from his factory job after 30 years, and became a beloved uncle and grandpa to many, including me.

His claim to fame was his ability to calm a crying baby and charm any child. He was a friendly card sharp and an avid Cardinals fan.

He lost his hearing and his sight in his last years. We think he lost his memory too. But he could still tell tales of an 18 year old boy breaking horses and fleecing his fellow soldiers in barracks poker games. His final years brought declining health and mobility, but he never lost his kind and gentle nature. Quiet in his own darkening world, he would still respond immediately when a child entered his presence, embracing her and setting her on his knee.

The picture I have in my mind is from the last time I saw him, my children at his feet. This gentle man, eyes unseeing but still alert, holding my hand, voice reduced to a whisper, and there behind him the black and white picture of the brave soldier of 65 years ago.

God bless you Uncle Lloyd. May you rest in The Lord's peace. You've earned it.

A Salute to Our Vietnam Vets

Armistice Day, a National Holiday declared by President Woodrow Wilson to honor the veterans of WW I, grew into Veterans Day. This is the day we honor all veterans, but I want to specifically honor our Vietnam veterans.

Betrayed by our politicians, maligned by the press as mentally ill homeless bums, and negatively stereotyped by Hollywood as dope smoking baby killers, no group of veterans has been more defamed.

Thankfully, our nation overcame those false negative images after 9/11, and these veterans are now getting the respect and honor they have earned. I love seeing the RVN ribbon stickers in the back window of pickups and SUVs.

I attended a Veterans Day ceremony at my daughter's school and looked around at my fellow veterans. The WW II vets were stooped over canes or sitting in wheelchairs, ears cocked, straining to hear. The younger Vietnam vets were still quite vibrant and had the older veterans outnumbered. I was heartened to see so many of them. These were professors, teachers, engineers, and deputy sheriffs. Some were now retired or 100% disabled. It did my heart good to see them soaking up the honor these children bestowed upon them with songs, poetry and patriotic readings.

In Vietnam they didn't have the hard billets and Burger Kings my generation had in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. These men and women were not honored at airports and civic functions. They returned home under a cloud of shame they did not earn. And they showed us how men and women carry themselves with dignity despite having their honor questioned and being cheated by the society they fought for.

Vietnam vets, I salute you. Sam, Johnny, Richard, Larry, Galen, Paul, Dick, Tony, my drill instructor Sergeant Smith... I am honored to be your friend. You represent the very best of America. Thank you for being my friend, and for showing us all what heroism, patriotism, self-sacrifice and dignity look like.

May God bless you.

Drop the Partisan BS and Support our Troops!

I am fed up with Bush Derangement Syndrome sufferers using veterans’ issues to take jabs at the president. Helping our vets is too important an issue to be hijacked by ranters and ravers with ideological or partisan political agendas.

If you want to help our troops, here’s some advice: Find a credible veterans’ advocacy organization and volunteer your time or donate money. What are the hallmarks of a good veterans’ organization?

1. It is non-partisan. It enjoys the friendship of Democratic and Republican politicians alike. It turns away help from no one.

2. It doesn’t engage in name-calling or other inflammatory language. It stays focused on the mission of helping our troops.

3. It is influential and has an effective lobbying effort (yes, there are good lobbyists.)

4. It avoids being co-opted by other people or organizations with political or ideological agendas unrelated to helping vets.

5. It won’t be represented at anti-war rallies or peace protests.

6. Many good veterans organizations can be found at patriotic events such as holidays or memorial dedications for fallen heroes.

7. It doesn’t diminish its message by gratuitously criticizing elected officials.

8. It often criticizes government policies, but does so in a constructive manner, offering solutions along with criticism.

There are many good ways to help our veterans. Joining in with the haters and hidden agenda crowd isn’t one of them. They are exploiting people of good will, (and most despicably, our veterans) to their own ideological ends. Avoid them. Below are links to some of the good guys: Visit them and give.

Links:

http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/

http://www.saluteheroes.org/

http://www.woundedwarriors.org/

http://www.rollingthunder1.com/

http://www.dav.org/