The upcoming Veterans Day and some posts on the subject have reminded me that, counterintuitive though it may be to the hippie-dippy stereotype, a whole lot of our brothers and sisters on the Bus are now serving or have served in the military.
If you're one of 'em, or your family and friends are, please post here!
good morning all my sisters & brothers,
i hope u all get a few minutes this memorial weekend to remember those other sisters & brothers of ours who have perished or were maimed while in harms way. although we may disagree with the reasons of war these souls have paid the ultimate sacrifice and deserve>no demand our respect..."may the music rock their souls"
stay safe and feel good!
thanx marye :)
I've got a nephew who's an officer in the reserves, shipping out to Kuwait early next year, word is. Not a Deadhead, but a good guy and we like him. So does his little daughter.
I grew up an Army sergeant's daughter, and married an Army aviation officer. My dad is in Arlington now, and my husband retired last year after almost 25 years on active duty (we were married after he'd been in for I think 8 years) I think that has given me a different perspective on some stuff in my adult life, but I'm not One Of Them, don't worry.
I now work full time for the US Navy as a civilian employee. I work with some of Them, and it's a little discouraging sometimes. My boss, whom I adore really, is pretty conservative and all that, but he's a great guy and I couldn't ask for a better boss. \
We have lost friends and colleagues over in the war, and Chris lost a part of his soul over there, it seems. We lost a friend at the Pentagon on 9/11, and that was just horrible too.
At least it got us used to being apart. He's retired now from the military and living in Colorado with our son, who's getting some great kid&dad time after way too much kid&mom time. sure wish they liked San Diego though!
Every Veterans Day I thank the people around me and that I know that are Veterans, I say something like "Have a good Veterans day, thanks for serving our country." It surprises them especially coming from a person so far left of the center.
Said it tonight to my neighbor and it gave him a big smile. Give it a try. Even if you disagree with the policies of our leaders these folks still need to be acknowledged for the sacrifices, hardships and losses that they have gone through.
So Have a Good Veterans Day and thank you for serving our country to all the Veterans and to all Veteran Deadheads reading this.
Hal
If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
Wiliam Blake
There was a guy selling poppies on the corner when I was downtown the other day, and as I passed him I said, "Thanks for your service." He seemed a bit startled, but in a good way.
I came of age in the sixties and started out my life wanting to become an officer in the Navy. Vietnam changed my mind! I came to realize that I could not follow my government into war without question.
I have a family member buried in Arlington National Cemetery who became a hero on D-Day. Currently my wife's brother is in Afghanistan after two tours in Iraq. I don't agree with our governments policy in the Middle East, but I have to respect my brother-in-law's willingness to sacrifice for what he sees as the greater good. His willingness to sacrifice his life if needed is obvious, but the sacfirices he, his wife and small children are making as a family get much less attention. The willingness of people to give selflessly to others should be honored, even when we disagree with the cause.
ur words speak volumes...
stay safe and feel good!
As a Deadhead people never believe that I am a vet. For some reason it seems like these two parts of my identity don't make sense to other people. A lot of my friends who are into the Dead couldn't grasp that I had been in the military. And of course a lot of my friends in the military don't understand how I could be into "that hippie crap." It's always a welcome surprise when one group accepts and embraces another. As someone who served for nearly nine years in the US Army Field Artillery these words of thanks and praise mean a lot.
"...the powerful plays goes on, and you may contribute a verse"
-Walt Whitman-
u and all of our brothers and sisters in all branches of the armed forces for bravely being placed in harms way and for providing a cherished and sacrificing service to our country allowing us all to continue living as free women & men!
stay safe and feel good!
>><<<< :>
let us not forget that when it comes right down to it, Jerry was a vet (though I gather the 17-year-old Private Garcia was pretty much a thorn in the military flesh) and Hunter IS a vet and has drawn on that experience in his writing. And where would we be without THEM...
Also, I learned fairly early on in my baby Deadhead days that there was a considerable Deadhead subculture in the military, and ran into Heads in various branches of the military pretty often just standing in line at shows. So the easy stereotypes don't really work, I don't think.
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Joined: 05/26/07