Veterans For Sale

Have a can of ravioli and celebrate Armistice Day.  What is Armistice Day?  Why ravioli?  Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day, came into being by declaration of President Wilson one year after the end of World War One.  WWI ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year 1918.  Toward the end of that war, President Wilson invited nearly 2000 veterans to the White House to enjoy a "home cooked meal" of ravioli cooked by White House chefs and the President himself.  If the President had guaranteed the "War Bonus"  for the troops, they would have enjoyed that and bought their own dinners.  But a free meal by President Wilson became the start of a tradition.  This tradition was one of paying off veterans with free food.

During the ensuing years, Armistice Day has changed in many ways.  It is now Veterans Day.  While once being a national holiday, it is a federal holiday.  Great Grandfathers, Grandfathers, Fathers, Sons, and Grandsons have all joined the Fraternity of Freedom.  From Flanders Fields to the defeat of Hitler and Japan, knee deep in the steamy jungles of Southeast Asia, then on the the deserts of the Middle East, generation after generation has paid the cost of liberty without even one "by your leave."

After WWII, the United States welcomed their heroes home to no jobs, no help, and a Holy place somewhere around the world left in many locations where they fell.  Did any come home?  Sure they did.  Some walked with a limp, others had hidden places where they fought an enemy within the mind. Many more came home in a box to a closed casket homecoming.  The remains were all there were. Identified by dental records or the DNA of some lump of remaining flesh.

Mothers, wives, sweethearts, and fathers take charge of what once a happy human being.  They try to avoid all of the home town haunts where the young people were often seen and may have been happy before going to War.

Grand receptions have been planned for the Dough Boy, the greatest Generation, and the whole volunteer army in which we sent them for the purpose of defending the country.  Not so for most of those who served in  and in support of the Viet Nam War.  While you cannot find many veterans who speak favorably about their return home, many are outspoken about the current volume of businesses that have gone out of their way to take advantage of this country's new found patriotism.

Why do many Viet Nam veterans feel a sense of betrayal?  They are told and reminded often about having lost the first war in USA history.  They suffer from diseases brought on by exposure to Agent Orange.  PTSD is spoken of most often when a veteran's mental health is in question.  Finally, a veteran sees his future with a sense of foreboding.  Sometimes, out of anger, a veteran might rave at those who love him, or her.  But this saying best describes how the veteran feels about the federal agency charged with a veteran's care.  "Deny, deny, until they die."

With all of the above in mind, let those who have treated these vets and any other vets heed these promises and warnings.  Do not call this holiday in memory of the beloved vet who bought freedom for our country.  Do not sell products on the back of those who have carried this country, kicking and screaming into protection.  Finally, there is not a veteran around who does not appreciate a free meal.  But, remember this, our allegiance cannot be bought with a 'soft roll'. Oh, before it is forgotten again.  To all those who have served this country.  "Welcome home."