A TIP OF THE HAT TO OUR VETERANS A NEW APPRECIATION FOR THOSE WHO SERVED.Byline: Steve Vlasich ONCE again the drums of war roll over America, a gentle land still in shock following the barbarous assault on New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. and our nation's capitol. For a nation that always hungered for peace, the reality is simply that there will always be aggressor AGGRESSOR, crim. law. He who begins, a quarrel or dispute, either by threatening or striking another. No man may strike another because he has threatened, or in consequence of the use of any words. countries and rogue terrorist movements bent on Adj. 1. bent on - fixed in your purpose; "bent on going to the theater"; "dead set against intervening"; "out to win every event" bent, dead set, out to shoving the world into war and destruction. In ordinary times, peaceful Americans look at the men and women of the U.S. military as a necessity - more of a budget expense than an asset. It is only when we look to someone to protect us from harm that we truly appreciate the contribution they make on our behalf. In these extraordinary times we should realize the debt we owe our soldiers and all veterans who fought on our behalf to maintain our freedom. It was out of these genuine feelings of gratitude that Armistice Armistice (Nov. 11, 1918) Agreement between Germany and the Allies ending World War I. Allied representatives met with a German delegation in a railway carriage at Rethondes, France, to discuss terms. The agreement was signed on Nov. Day became a national holiday to mark the end of World War I and honor all those who served the flag. As more wars were fought the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day to salute those who took up the banner in the name of America. This year, less than a decade after Desert Storm, Americans again find themselves in harm's way harm's way n. A risky position; danger: a place for the children that is out of harm's way; ships that sail into harm's way. as they pursue a shadowy enemy who fights without uniforms and without principles. With twisted logic they not only assaulted America but they defiled de·file 1 tr.v. de·filed, de·fil·ing, de·files 1. To make filthy or dirty; pollute: defile a river with sewage. 2. their own Islamic religion, a venerable religion whose ages-old precepts have always been peace and love. Terrorists by their words and deeds Words and Deeds is the eleventh episode of the third season of House and the fifty-seventh episode overall. This episode concludes the Michael Tritter story arc that began in the episode Fools for Love. thus show neither love nor peace. As a result, the world starved for peace cries out why but the answers lie buried in the dark caves of Afghanistan and deeper still in the dark minds of Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden: see bin Laden, Osama. and his demented demented - Yet another term of disgust used to describe a program. The connotation in this case is that the program works as designed, but the design is bad. Said, for example, of a program that generates large numbers of meaningless error messages, implying that it is on the brink henchmen. Events of the past two months spark a deep reawakening reawakening n → despertar m reawakening n → réveil m reawakening n → Wiedererwachen nt in the memories of those who previously served in the military. Veterans now in their 70s and 80s join their younger comrades as they remember the days when they left home at an early age to learn the job of soldiering. All agree it was the toughest job they ever had, one that didn't pay very much except for the satisfaction of knowing that if they didn't step forward, America would have stepped backward. Out of 250 million Americans only a small fraction of our citizens served in the military. Who are these people who took up the fight? They represent a cross-section, all sizes and shapes, men and women from all corners of our land, all colors and nationalities, all political and religious persuasions. Diverse as they were they shared a common bond in their love of America, a country that in many cases was not of their father's birth but more importantly was of his choice. As veterans we learned some important lessons during our wartime service. We learned how big the world was and how different people were in terms of culture yet most possessing basic goodness Basic goodness is the belief that human beings are essentially good, and that the experience of this is available to all. This idea is at the core of the Shambhala Vision of Chögyam Trungpa, and experiencing it is the main topic of Level One of the Shambhala Training curriculum and humanity. When we entered the military as young men we were not well-traveled. In 1946, after an absence of almost three years, I had traveled close to 15,000 miles and saw people and places I never dreamed imaginable. World War II was credited and/or blamed by the noted social scientist Vance Packard Vance Packard (May 22, 1914 – December 12, 1996) was an American journalist, social critic, and author. Life and career He was born in Granville Summit, Pennsylvania to parents Philip J. Packard and Mabel Case Packard. in his landmark book, ``A Nation of Strangers,'' for the migration and dislocation of American life that forever killed the idea that most of us would be born and die within the same city or town. We learned the tools of our new job spending hours on the rifle range learning to be proficient with the Garand M-1 rifle. We learned how to crawl through the infiltration course with live machine gun fire whistling over our heads. We learned how fast we could put on a gas mask gas mask, face covering or device used to protect the wearer from injurious gases and other noxious materials by filtering and purifying inhaled air. In addition to military use (see chemical warfare), gas masks are employed in mining, in industrial chemistry, and by before gas spewed out of overhead pipes in a completely air-tight chamber. Pretty heady stuff for most 18- to mid-20-year-olds. We learned that fear, loneliness and homesickness were constant companions, something we had to fight and conquer if we were to win. For some of our comrades the burden was too much to bear. When they couldn't handle it, they were discharged and sent home. We learned to adjust to the rigid discipline of the military, and we learned we had to give up our own personal freedom as we sought to secure it for our countrymen. In wartime we were confined to our camp unless we had an authorized pass to be absent. Once we were put on overseas alert we could not communicate with our families. I remember one of my fellow Army engineers looking at his home from the deck of a troop ship in Boston harbor prior to our being shipped to England in May 1944. Just blocks away from his home and he couldn't leave the ship to say goodbye to his mother. Today I am struck by the apparent ease with which television reporters and retired military experts discuss troop breakdowns and strategies. Perhaps in today's warfare a ``slip of the lip'' won't sink a ship as we feared in the 1940s. We learned how sad and lonely the holidays can be when you are far from home and loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl and everything in your being wishes you were there. Given the timing of the war against terrorism, many of our troops will be separated from their families this Christmas. Having spent the Christmas of 1944 and 1945 in France, I remember how I wished I was back home in Chicago. The current cable series ``Band of Brothers'' tells the story of a parachute company in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, but all veterans feel the same bond of friendship and kinship with their ``brothers'' regardless of which branch of service they were in. When the going was rough there were always guys in your outfit who could put a smile on your face. When the yearnings for home were overwhelming there was always someone who could take you out of the dumps. How could you ever forget them? Perhaps that's why when veterans get together they don't blow smoke at each other about heroics but rather concentrate on the good friends they made in the service and who they never will forget. This bond isn't just a ``guy'' thing but a celebration of having gone together through a unique human experience. On this Veterans Day let us pray that our sons and daughters do their very best and come home safely after a complete victory. As they grow older they can look back, as all veterans, with satisfaction that they met the challenge, beat an insidious enemy and preserved freedom for America. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) School children cheer as a statue of World War II soldiers raising the flag passes during a Veterans Day parade Thursday in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press (2 -- color) In Branson, Mo., Richard Peters Richard Peters is the name of:
Ryan Hasler/Associated Press |
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