Ernie Pyle was an embedded World War II war correspondent. He died on April 18, 1945 on Ie Island from Japanese machine gun fire. Ernie told us what was going on with our troops. He was beloved.
Bill Mauldin was a World War II GI. He served in Italy. Bill created Willie & Joe. Everybody loved Willie & Joe.
Reporting from the front is different. You are there experiencing the same things our troops are experiencing in real time. Ernie and Bill helped us understand our troops as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
We must never forget the sacrifices our veterans have made. We must never forget what they endured and the debt we owe them. We must never forget those who did not return.
We must never forget those left behind at home who lost a loved one. They deserve comfort and support and appreciation.
Most of us have never been in combat. We have no idea what it's like. It was a unique experience for each veteran - even those who were in the same battle together.
Many of our veterans have written books about their experiences. Joseph Heller added Catch 22 to our war lexicon. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. let us know what it was like on the ground in the fire bombing of Dresden.
Bush 41 being rescued after his plane was shot down in the Pacific.
During my lifetime, Truman*, Eisenhower*, Kennedy*, Johnson, Nixon, Ford*, Carter, Bush (41)* and Bush (43) all served as President. They were all veterans. * Denotes combat veteran.
Our very first President was a combat veteran. It is a matter of debate, but George Washington may have turned downed the opportunity to be king on two separate occasions. He valued a Constitutional Republic.
https://www.va.gov/HEALTH/NewsFeatures/2015/February/List-Of-Presidents-Who-Were-Veterans.asp
Twenty six of our forty five Presidents were veterans. The link above will show you the complete list with their ranks, branches of service and dates of service.
John McCain was a Navy Pilot who was a prisoner of war for five and a half years during the Vietnam War. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1986 and remains there to this day.
Robert Mueller was a Marine and a Vietnam War combat veteran. He went on to serve for thirteen years as our sixth FBI Director. He is currently the Special Counsel investigating Russian interference in our last election.
And then there's Mr. Bone Spurs. He was granted five deferments.
In 1993 he was interviewed by Howard Stern and said, "You know, if you’re young, and in this era, and if you have any guilt
about not having gone to Vietnam, we have our own Vietnam — it’s called
the dating game. Dating is
like being in Vietnam. You’re the equivalent of a soldier going over to
Vietnam."
In 1997 he was again interviewed by Howard Stern and said, "It’s amazing, I can’t even believe it. I’ve been so lucky in terms of
that whole world, it is a dangerous world out there. It’s like Vietnam,
sort of. It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave
solider." He referred to women’s vaginas as “potential landmines” and said “there’s some real danger there."
Meanwhile Mr. Bone Spurs trashed the Khan family in 2016. Their son Humayun was a U.S. Army Captain who was killed by a car bomb in Iraq in 2004. Captain Khan was awarded both a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Mr. Bone Spurs has also trashed Senator McCain repeatedly. He said Senator McCain was no war hero because he was "captured".
And yes, Mr. Bone Spurs is accusing Robert Mueller of being part of a conspiracy - a Democratic conspiracy. He includes the FBI and the Intelligence Community in this as well. He calls the investigation a "witch hunt" and trashes our free press and freedom of speech.
Here is a quote from Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. It fits Mr. Bone Spurs perfectly. Just substitute Mr. Bone Spurs, Sarah Huckabee Sanders or the name of anyone working for Mr. Bone Spurs or the name of any member of the GOP for "chaplain".
"The
chaplain had mastered, in a moment of divine intuition, the handy technique of
protective rationalization, and he was exhilarated by his discovery. It was
miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and
slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder
into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into
patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains
at all. It merely required no character."
Considering that most of our wars have been against Fascist tyrants and totalitarian regimes, I believe a lot of those who died in service to the United States would not be happy with what is happening now.
Holy Moly!
