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Happy Memorial Day Weekend
The weather here in D.C. is gorgeous—sunny and cool, with the promise of more to come. It rained last night, so the city seems fresh and clean and sparkly. It's a great weekend for outdoor plans.
The big event in D.C. this weekend is the dedication of the WWII Memorial on the Mall. Yesterday on my way home from work I noticed lots of veterans and their families on the train—you could tell because many wore items of clothing (hats, jackets, etc.) with identifiers of company, or branch of service, or rank, etc. Although the memorial has received a lot of criticism, this should still be a very memorable and meaningful weekend for those veterans who are able to come to the dedication. "The greatest generation" seems a bit hyperbolic, but I'm certainly thankful for the sacrifices and dedication of so many (American and otherwise) in the first half of the 20th century. I wonder what the vets coming to Washington this weekend think of the world they live in today.
Posted May 29, 2004 06:49 AM | life generally
I am having dinner with my grandfather (veteran of WWII, he was at Pearl Harbor) and my father (Vietnam plus 30 years as a combat rescue helicopter pilot in many U.S. operations) tonight and as always, what they think about the world today will be a hot topic. I'm a veteran too even though I never think of myself that way, and I'm often suprised at how 3 different generations of military officers can view what's going on right now in such different ways. I love Memorial Day...I love to hear the stories and see everyone with a flag up...it always makes me misty!
Posted by: energy spatula at May 29, 2004 05:11 PM
So what did you learn at dinner? You should've been in D.C. Flags everywhere. And motorcycles. The roar of Harleys has drowned out the cicadas (and everything else). What is it w/vets and motorcycles?
But see, what I don't get is how anyone who has put his/her life on the line (at least potentially by joining one of the armed forces, regardless of whether he/she saw actual combat of any kind) -- how could someone so personally involved with the military support our current military operations? Sure, it's one thing to "support the troops," but another to support the so-called leadership that put them where they are today. I feel like if I were a vet, I'd be so pissed at Bush and Co. I'd be shouting from the rooftops. But maybe not, since I don't see a huge upswell of veterans groups demanding some sort of change in the current status quo. There's clearly something about being in the military I don't uderstand....
Posted by: ambimb at May 30, 2004 10:09 PM
I speak for absolutely NO ONE but myself, but while in the military it rarely occurred to me not to be supportive of the President. I had a job to do, I wanted to do it, I believed in it (and still do), and trusted both our intelligence and the Commander in Chief (not so sure about this one anymore). After September 11th I didn't have a day off for MONTHS. There wasn't time to think about being pissed, I was too busy doing my job. Also, it's not like you can openly criticize the CinC while in the military...you can't even send around emails making fun of George W.'s creative language skills...maybe that's a habit that dies hard?
What did I learn at dinner? Hmmmm...My dad is concerned the troops aren't getting the logistical support they need, many of them are having to buy some of their own equipment to deploy...he thinks that's a travesty. My grandfather is old-school...he believes in the government and in following orders. He doesn't think the CinC would send us to war without a just reason. Both of them say that it's hard to express to other people what it is that makes you want to serve your country...and I agree. I often have people ask me how I could have joined/served/stayed in the military...for all the reasons you mentioned. And, without overusing a tired cliche, I don't know if I can describe it. You just believe that ultimately you're doing something that's right for America...
Posted by: energy spatula at May 31, 2004 01:37 AM
yeah, but dissent and questioning authority are just as important to america and democracy as security and defense are. in my first evidence class today, the professor said that the rules of evidence don't matter at all if you don't stand up in the courtroom and object. and that's how democracy works too - there has to be dissent and disagreement for it to be meaningful at all. why were you prohibited from sending around jokes at the president?
Posted by: monica at June 2, 2004 10:54 AM
Uniform Code of Military Justice 888. ART. 88. CONTEMPT TOWARD OFFICIALS
Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
The military is not the rest of the world. What is special about it is that people give up some of their rights to protect the rights of others. You of course question authority when you think that what someone is doing is illegal or questionable, but what is illegal is completely different. It is a civil law system, not common law...and many of your rights are necessarily diminished in the name of good order and discipline. If you google "UCMJ" you can find the entire thing in many places.
Posted by: energy spatula at June 2, 2004 04:47 PM
