-Vets at Shakopee Pow Wow Aug. 2006
Picture by pmPilgrim

11/11- Veteran's Day

We made some very bad choices during the Vietnam War. One of the saddest and most difficult to atone for was the way so many veterans were treated when they came home. Some of us who opposed the war used them as scapegoats for the failed policies of the Johnson and Nixon Administrations. Some of us who supported the war used them as poster children and icons for an ideology that was having difficulty being supported and turned the veterans into symbols to be marched out for a political agenda.

This was an era when wearing an American Flag pin was a symbol of politics not patriotism. It was an era when wearing an actual American Flag on your jeans jacket was seen as desecrating the flag. It was an era that made no sense no matter which side you were on. It only divided us very deeply.

The result was a great deal of pain. Deep, deep pain in many places in our country.

For those who were not alive then- or were too young to remember- I am grateful that when it came to the veterans- those who serve in our military and go out to fight the battles that the leaders think need to be fought- we learned our lesson. Or at least it appears that way. Regardless of political opinion I have noticed that the support for our troops and for the men and women when they come home has been nothing short of inspiring. Sure, every now and then a politician accuses another of not caring about the troops, but the times truly have changed.

Even the military people are speaking out now on the war which has managed to keep it from being a question of support for our military people.

Today is Veteran's Day in the United States. Take a moment to thank a Veteran of whatever war they may have served in. Take a moment to be grateful for those who served, put their lives on the line and too often have gotten very little thanks.