On This Veteran’s Day, You Can Save the Thank Yous

[geardaddy]

http://billmoyers.com/2014/11/11/thank-valor-thank-service-thank-thank-thank/
Last week, in a quiet indie bookstore on the north side of Chicago, I saw the latest issue of Rolling Stone resting on a chrome-colored plastic table a few feet from a barista brewing a vanilla latte. A cold October rain fell outside. A friend of mine grabbed the issue and began flipping through it. Knowing that I was a veteran, he said, “Hey, did you see this?” pointing to a news story that seemed more like an ad. It read in part:
“This Veterans Day, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Rihanna, Dave Grohl and Metallica will be among numerous artists who will head to the National Mall in Washington DC on November 11th for ‘The Concert For Valor,’ an all-star event that will pay tribute to armed services.”

“Concert For Valor? That sounds like something the North Korean government would organize,” I said as I typed Concertforvalor.com into my MacBook Pro looking for more information.

The sucking sound from the espresso maker was drowning out a 10-year-old Shins song. As I read, my heart sank, my shoulders slumped.

Special guests at the Concert for Valor were to include: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The mission of the concert, according to a press release, was to “raise awareness” of veterans issues and “provide a national stage for ensuring that veterans and their families know that their fellow Americans’ gratitude is genuine.”

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Michael Mullen were to serve in an advisory capacity, and Starbucks, HBO, and JPMorgan Chase were to pay for it all. “We are honored to play a small role to help raise awareness and support for our service men and women,” said HBO chairman Richard Plepler.

Much more at link.

[locks]

1. I've now lived through so many wars I can't recall them all

I never said thank you except that they were over because I never believed for a moment that war and killing were valorous, glorious, heroic. Or that anyone who had fought had saved the world. Or that the dead had not died in vain. Or that there was ever a just or necessary war. I have never felt blame toward those who fought in wars but if we celebrate their action we celebrate war and those who send them. I would like to say to all that return: I'm happy that you made it home and hope you will get all the help you need, but I hope that you have learned to never fight or kill again.

[Basic LA]

2. Veterans Day

Good point. Wish we could concentrate everyone's genuine goodwill on bringing VA Hospital efficiency to a par at least equal to, say, Kaiser Hospital. It would sure help a lot of us in the VA system.