Veterans Day: Just Give Me the Steak Dinner, Please
I have mixed feelings about Veterans Day. Every November 11th is Veterans Day. I was in the U.S. Navy from 1970-1973 during the Vietnam War so I am a veteran. I didn't want to join the Navy, but I was going to be drafted into the Army, and I didn't want to go to war and shoot at people and be shot at. I didn't, and don't, have anything against the Vietnamese and Vietnam wasn't attacking the U.S. So I joined the Navy and went to Vietnam on an aircraft carrier. I didn't like being in the Navy. Now I am considered a Veteran, but I am not proud of what I did. Every year I can go to a restaurant and get a free dinner to thank me for my service. Last night I went to Applebees with my family and got a free steak dinner. The server said "Thank you for your service to protect our country." I said "Thank you for the steak dinner. It was good." If a country, like Vietnam, attacked the U.S. directly, I would help to defend my country. But that wasn't the case. I have friends who went to Vietnam in the Army and got killed. I don't feel very good about that. These are high school friends I won't see again. I think the U.S. military and government sticks it's nose into a lot of places around the world when it is none of our business. If a country attacked the U.S. that would be a different story. So I am a Veteran. I have served our country. But, in conclusion, I really don't feel patriotic about what I did. In the U.S. I have the right of free speech to say anything I want about being a veteran. And that's a good thing.
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Jeff, I am proud of you that you have served as a Navy for protect of your country.I thought that you doesn't like Navy but you joined to Navy. It look like depend on the situation of army. I have one question, If either Iraq or Afghanistan against the the USA for war, are you whether join to the navy a gain or not?
ReplyDeleteI joined the Navy because I was going to be drafted (no choice) into the Army. I only joined the Navy to avoid the Army.
ReplyDeleteI would not go to Iraq or Afganistan to fight. It might be different if those countries attacked the US directly, but that isn't the situation.
when I was on the way to work form,I heard that more than one million veterans were alive today on the radio. But I didn't realize that day was veteran day. Then, I left early to go to the bank to pay the bill. The bank was close, it wasted my money. I couldnt happy on that day too.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I want to ask a question. You said that you were not proud of it. How about IS? They kill many innocent people. If you were still in the army today, will you proud to be a person to protect those innocent people who were killed by IS?
They are not attacking the US. If they were attacking the US, I would fight against them out of self-defense, as I wrote in the paragraph.
DeleteHi Jeff I am sorry to hear about your high school best friend. I know how it feels, because I lost my high school best friend in national cervicise in my country too.
ReplyDeleteThe story had a happy ending, because I found him after 40 years because he found me on the internet.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that. At least you have good memories.
ReplyDelete