English writer, Christian Philosopher, and Apologist, G.K. Chesteron wrote: “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of a readiness to die.”
“No holiday says “America” the way Veterans Day does. On this day we celebrate not just our freedom, our independence, our democracy, but the sacrifices made to achieve them. We honor those who fought on our behalf, in our defense, for our freedom. We thank those who sacrificed their time, their health, their lives. We pray for those who now serve at home, overseas, and in harm’s way. Freedom isn’t free, independence isn’t forever, and democracy isn’t for the faint of heart.”
God has blessed us with many a great warrior who has served our country with a willingness to sacrifice there all so that we could live free. Never, ever forget that freedom has never been free, and that our veterans – past and present – remind us of the sacrifice that Jesus gave so that we could all be free. Take time today, and this week to thank God for all those who have served, and are serving our country. Say a prayer for our service men and women everywhere who place themselves in harms way to serve and protect our freedoms.
Recall, and remember the oath they took: I, _, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
The following story of a former Vietnam Vet reminds us of the courage it requires to put on that uniform taking that oath of service.
In January 1993, Bill Clinton was inaugurated as our 42nd president. On that very day, he welcomed countless numbers of people into the White House. Many of them were active duty military. His first words to each member in uniform were: “Thank you for your service.” He shook hands and looked them in the eye as he uttered those words. I watched very closely with great interest. There was no doubt in my mind that this was an act of sincerity being played over and over as I could see the welling in the eyes of the president and felt the same in my own. Those words seem to have become some kind of a cliché and will be repeated many times with the coming of another Veterans Day.
It wasn’t like that at all when I returned home from Vietnam in 1971. I wasn’t expecting any kind of welcome home, especially since we had been briefed about possibly encountering war protesters which we were told to ignore. What I looked forward to as we deplaned at the SEA-TAC Airport in Washington was simply stepping on American soil after surviving the most challenging year of my life in the war-torn country of Vietnam. Many of our troops got down on their hands and knees and kissed the ground as they were so happy to be home. After putting my foot down, I looked for some smiling American faces I could talk to. All of our initial happiness was quickly put on hold as we did encounter a group of so called “peace marchers.” We did all we could to ignore their remarks. I even heard the words “baby killers” and “get back on that plane” directed to us. I was told by a security officer that they had a right to say whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t cross a certain line.How could these people be so naïve? I soon learned this was not an isolated incident. There were people throughout the country actually burning the American flag. I began to wonder: What is happening to our country? I can certainly understand their frustrations to our involvement in Vietnam, but we as individuals should not be known the brunt of or for that matter, any part of, their frustration. They probably didn’t know that Americans were dying every day for their freedom. Further they didn’t realize that we as individuals had no choice as to our involvement in Vietnam. Those decisions were made in Washington, D.C. That is where those peace marchers should be and not allowed elsewhere.
Most everyone who served in Vietnam saw, felt and lived the war firsthand and probably became more antiwar than the loudest of any of those peace marchers. Some saw their friends suffer and die. I saw much more than my share of death and destruction, which included the maimed and mutilated bodies of children from villages that were destroyed.
I have come to believe that any act of war is totally insane. There has to be another way. Too many innocent people are killed. Now to put my stamp on that insanity statement: Probably 25 percent of the troops going to and from Vietnam were draftees. A draftee is a person who was forced to play a lottery game. Every 18-year-old American male was required to play this game. If they refused to play, they would either leave the country or they may have been jailed.
When they did sign up, they were issued a card. On this card was a number. This number became their draft status. Every month or so, numbers were drawn and winners and losers were notified. If your number was chosen and you weren’t attending college, it really didn’t matter in some instances if you were married or not, or if you had a well paying job or not, if your health was good, you would soon become a member of the United States Army. You would be sent to basic training for eight weeks and after another eight weeks of advanced training, you would be sent thousands of miles from home to fight in a war in a country you may never even knew existed. Many thousands of you will be killed in that war. How insane is that?
Now for what may be the ultimate of insanity. This is something that does happen during wartime. Any of-age man could very well been one of those draftees. He was on a mission and somehow make a wrong turn and was separated from his unit. It wasn’t even six months ago that his number came up. He had just turned 20 years. He said goodbye to his girlfriend and left the well paying job he had worked so hard to secure.
In those days, a college education was not always a requirement to land a decent job. Now here he is, lost in Vietnam, thousands of miles from home. He soon comes face to face with a North Vietnamese soldier who himself is barely 20 years old and was forced into this war. Neither of them knew why they were where they were. The only knowing they both had was they must take the other’s life or their own would be taken. It was kill or be killed. The height of insanity.
I retired from the Army in 1982 after 21 years of service — two of which were in Vietnam. Since then, I kept my Army care to myself and rarely talked about it because of the unpleasant memories of Vietnam. I am sure many of you have heard the term PTSD — Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, otherwise known as a delayed reaction to severe stress. This is something that affects many veterans of foreign wars.
In my case, we had to suppress our feelings. There was no time for mourning. This was especially so during mass casualties. The problem is the suppression will not last forever. Someday and quite possibly many years later, they would come out in a variety of physical and or emotional ways. Here is an example: My wife and I attended a Michigan State football game. Prior to the kickoff, the marching band performed one of the most beautiful rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” I had ever heard. I stood at attention and saluted the flag. During this performance, they paused for a few seconds. It didn’t take more than those few seconds to take my thoughts back in time. Tears were streaming down my face. I cringed as I approached this 22-year-old soldier who didn’t appear to be a day past 17. What could possibly be pleasant about placing death tags on his left toe and right thumb?
Veterans Day is a special day in honor of all those who have served in our nation’s military, past or present. This very year, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month will mark the signing of the armistice that ended World War I and became the seed to what today is known as Armistice Day.
If you should spot someone in uniform, regardless if you know the person or not, the uniform they are wearing represents your freedom. Reach out to them and thank them for their service. Finally never forget: “Freedom isn’t free.”
— David Dyer, Vietnam Veteran.
