America's shame--our debt to service members is still shamefully unpaid

PLEASE READ THIS VIDEO DESCRIPTION. When I watch this, I'm speechless, and tearful.

This video is not mine--I found it elsewhere, and don't know the creator or copyright owners. ***YOUTUBE: PLEASE DON'T TAKE THE VIDEO OR SOUNDTRACK DOWN. I have NOT submitted it for revenue sharing, but simply as a patriotic public service. Please respect that and leave the video up.***

Some military action is both abhorrent and necessary--I'm both old and young enough to know that. But we in modern America have forgotten the cost. In our video-game, media-saturated, narcissistic society of today, war has become just another policy football, just another budget wrangle.

When Pearl Harbor was bombed, both businesses and the government urged civilians to conserve, to recycle, to contribute money (in taxes and war bonds), and to grow their own food. When the World Trade Centers were leveled, the government told us to go about our business, and that the most patriotic thing we could do was go out and consume more.

My father was a marine in Vietnam, my uncle one in Korea, but they've never talked much about it. But after having two young daughters, and then losing one of my favorite students during his first month in Baghdad, war has become very personal for me. This video perfectly conveys one of the greatest costs of war--the separation of families. Particularly of parents and young children, who need their parent more at that time than at any other time of life.

War is necessary at times. But we as a nation have forgotten the cost. Before we reach for that ultimate tool, we must make ourselves feel very clearly the cost. Very sure that the need is so high--and that all other possible options have been eliminated--so that the extreme cost of war on our society and our people is worth it.

And when the vets get home, our neglect of their health and well-being is one of the greatest shames of our nation. They risked their ALL for the benefit of the whole--not just their own lives, but the father or mother of their children, the husband or wife of their spouse, the son or the daughter of their parents, and their very own mental health and happiness of they do come home whole.

Why the HELL are we not giving them the best damn health care on the planet--both physical and mental, WITHOUT hassling them about it?? Why the HELL can a rich CEO get whatever he needs done to take care of whatever ailment he may have, yet a young vet can't get a decent prosthetic, or respect for very real ailments that are dismissed by the establishment as "in your head," or "not related to your service," like "Gulf War Syndrome" was for so long? In my opinion, vets who saw combat should be given health care for life. Part of the social contract: you risk your life for your society, and society will take care of the needs that arise out of that risk. Anything less seems, well, barbaric. At the least it is below us, especially if we want to go around waving flags and chanting "U. S. A.--U. S. A" like it's some football game. We love to say we are the greatest nation on earth. But on this subject especially, we are an abomination. It's time to live up to your ideals America--put up or shut up.

And what boggles my mind is how invisible the problem is on the political agenda. How it seems to be swept under the carpet by BOTH sides. That's what totally befuddles me. The Republicans are normally war hawks and should be lauded the vets up and down, and calling anyone who votes against funding health care for them unpatriotic. And the Democrats are the great lovers of social services. Of all our most vulnerable populations to be served, shouldn't we put at the top of the list the ones who became disabled BY CHOICE because they wanted to protect and serve the rest of us? I just don't get it.

In all frankness, when I think of how we treat our returned vets (even those physically healthy, but mentally effected), I am ashamed to be American. Proud as hell of those selfless and brave men and women who risked everything to protect the rest of us. But ashamed to be American.

After I read Tom Brokaw's book "The Greatest Generation," I took to saying simply "Thank you for your service" to anyone in uniform or a vet baseball cap, regardless of whether I was against that particular war or not.

I hope you do some soul-searching on this, and ask others to do it as well. We owe it to our servicemen and women, as well as to our own self-respect in thinking that being American means something special.

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[practicalmagic9]

i am so moved.I thank you for this post.i would rate it but it's been disabled.thank you again!

[wonderingmind42]

@practicalmagic9 Whoops. Didn't realize "disable ratings by others" was the default. I think I've fixed it, so rate away.

[BeardedBill86]

@babykittenful I have to disagree, sure alot of history that people want to read about on average is war related, or alot of the major changes in human history were instigated by war.

But I think you'll find many of the important events and people historically were not war related, Einstein vs Patton? Renaissance vs WW2?

Violence may be part of our natures but war also brings with it the worst crime of all, murder, the taking of anothers chance to experience life..war is never worth it.

[metastasisd]

Too bad my homecoming sucked

[CoD5number1fan]

Some of these kids should be in the NBA because they got mad ups.

[armywife012205]

R and R is less than a week away; and I just sat here and balled my eyes out watching this. God I can't wait to just get my arms around him. These last few days are going by sooo slow.

[combatvetlawstudent]

Thanks for your comments about the health of our vets. It has been a great frustration to me to see and experience the total denial and neglect of getting care for war vets. Breaks my heart to think of it and the public is so in ignorance of it due to the constant putting on fronts that VA care is so great and always showing out that more is being done. I live in the system and see whats really going on. mostly Foreign drs who from countries we war w care for vets horribly. God help us!

[combatvetlawstudent]

awesome! love the dad in a box!! Great video!!! Bless all of them!

[Starkiller012]

@niallobinghe Its not like a soldier picks up his rifle and just decides to pull the trigger. Their giving orders. If your gonna blame someone blame the US gov`t. Because their corrupt and give the orders, not the soldiers fighting for your freedom. I will admit though there have been people who were like 18 and 19 who are complete ass holes, But they still fight for your freedom.

[negrusbayres37]

I dont know . What say .. I m fell sad for your soldiers ,,, And their s beutifull s family s .. But .. make feel better for the politic s we have here in Argentina .. Politic s in Argentina are sheet but not too sheet like your s ... Enjoy your family s .. And life ,,And Peace ... Sorry for my opinion .. But it only that my personal opinion ..

[negrusbayres37]

I dont know . What say .. I m fell sad for your soldiers ,,, And their s beutifull s family s .. But .. make feel better for the politic s we have here in Argentina .. Politic s in Argentina are sheet but not too sheet like your s

[AlaizterURMOM]

FUCK USA.. im Alaizter

[BaileysBeads]

@JOHNNYSschool See, that's what needs to stop, this recruiting at high schools and everything. Treat the source rather than the symptoms.