My area is very concentrated with veterans - so there's always a bunch of stuff going on. This morning there was a free breakfast for us at the high school put on by the culinary arts class. Good food, but I was the only vet under 35 there. People were staring at me like "What the hell is that kid doing here?"
Then the Veteran's day parade - always nice.
Then there was a chili cook-off put on by the local fire departments at the American Legion. I had me some damn good chili, but again people were staring at me like "What the hell is that kid doing here?" It's kinda the same thing when I get out of my car. People see my "Veteran" plates and figure it's my dad's car or something. Move along, jerk.
It was funny though, because a lot of these people were drinking (yes, beer) on a Sunday morning. Gotta love all these drunken Frenchies.
Needless to say I felt like an idiot. I figured that I would at least see some people that I went to high school with. I mean, there were a few people that I knew that went into the military, and with the attrition rate being less than 20%, I thought that chances were one of those people woulda been there. Nope.
I guess you have to be wrinkly to be a proper vet.
Then the Veteran's day parade - always nice.
Then there was a chili cook-off put on by the local fire departments at the American Legion. I had me some damn good chili, but again people were staring at me like "What the hell is that kid doing here?" It's kinda the same thing when I get out of my car. People see my "Veteran" plates and figure it's my dad's car or something. Move along, jerk.
It was funny though, because a lot of these people were drinking (yes, beer) on a Sunday morning. Gotta love all these drunken Frenchies.
Needless to say I felt like an idiot. I figured that I would at least see some people that I went to high school with. I mean, there were a few people that I knew that went into the military, and with the attrition rate being less than 20%, I thought that chances were one of those people woulda been there. Nope.
I guess you have to be wrinkly to be a proper vet.
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If you didn't know, there is a group of people around the country that is trying to get all the last surviving WWII vets to talk about their experiences, so that future generations will have that first-hand account. I don't think anything could be more important.
I think confusion over young Vets comes partly form a cultural denial of the reality of War. The Wars going on when we are alive (for me, Falklands to now) have all been on their soil, and society at home from it mostly carries on oblivious. To have Vets come back from them, makes them real, and not just the product of History's wars.
Thinking about that, I think having Vets like you, attend events like that is as actually extremely important. Society/Culture is in the wrong on this and needs to be challenged by seeing what being a Vet truly means. To have served, and returned. Not just a participant in a history lesson, but a participant in today.