OT thank you veterans (late for Memorial Day)

[Glen]

A friend sent this to me, and I wanted to pass it along. To all my fellow woodworkers who are veterans, THANK YOU.

Glen

Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the armed services do what they do for a living. This is a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never served think of our military.

JOHN GLENN ON THE SENATE FLOOR Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:13

Senator Howard Metzenbaum to Senator Glenn: "How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real job?"

Senator Glenn: "I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions & my plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program.

It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with me .. as I went the other day... to a veteran's hospital and look at those men - with their mangled bodies - in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job! You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee... and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their Dads didn't hold a job. You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags.

You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell ME that those people didn't have a job? I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum; you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that there were some men - SOME MEN - who held REAL jobs. And they required a dedication to a purpose - and a love of country and a dedication to duty

- that was more important than life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible.

I HAVE held a job, Howard! What about you?"

For those who don't remember - During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorney representing the Communist Party in the USA.

If you can read this, thank a teacher.... If you are reading it in English thank a Veteran. Please keep this circulating.

[Han]

Glen wrote in news:Flgoe.685$HM.633 @newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net:

I don't understand what one thing has to do with another. Are you saying that criminals are not allowed to have attorneys? Or catholics? Or people who disagree with you?

FWIW, I regard John Glenn as a real American success story, and have the utmost respect for him. I also have great respect for anyone like Howard Metzenbaum who would stand up for misrepresented and downtrodden people. While I disagree with the tenets of communism, I can't have much feeling for robber barons either.

With regard to your question about my English teacher, in my recollection he was an unassuming middleaged man trying to get British English into a bunch of Dutch kids in a high school in Wageningen, The Netherlands, the town I grew up in. For your education, this is near where the fighting was heaviest between May 10 and 15, 1940, when the Dutch army held the German invaders for a while. And again near the location of Opeartion Market Garden ("A bridge too far") starting September 17, 1944. The Germans surrendered to the Allies in Wageningen on May 5th, 1945.

I would like to add that I fully support the troops we (I'm a naturalized American citizen now) have in the Middle East. Nevertheless, I think our commander-in-chief has been less than completely honest about the reasons for going into Iraq, either through ignorance or through denial of the real facts there. Moreover, and more importantly, whoever was responsible for the plans for what was going to happen after the initial fighting was over deserves to be crucified for his stupidities.

I agree with this quote: "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

Winston Churchill

Obviously, in the free world, others are allowed differing opinions

[Morris Dovey]

He also said that the Americans can always be depended upon to 'do the right thing' - after they have exhausted all other possibilities.

He did have a way with words, didn't he?

-- Morris

[Han]

"Morris Dovey" wrote in news:ujooe.47$ [e-mail]:

Yes indeed.

[Charlie Self]

Sigh. Both guys had long careers, and this particular response took place in 1974, not 2004. It did happen. It happened 30+ years ago, not last year. It has absolutely nothing to do with Iraq and today's vets.

As a former Marine who also taught school for a very brief period, what I'd like more than thanks is a reduction in the polarization, and negative campaigning, in this country. Simply put: let the politicians, including the draft dodger now using the Oval Office, tell the truth on a daily basis.

[Joe]

What about John Kerry lying?? If what the Swift Boat Vets said about him is untrue why doesn't sue them for slander and defamation of character? Is he afraid that his Naval files will have to be opened and the real truth will come out about him?

Another point about Iraq - Should Sadam go unchecked and everyone in the world let him go on and continue to fill the mass graves that have been discovered of 200,000 plus bodies? Should we have not gone to war with Germany sooner and maybe there were not have been 6,000,000 or more Jews killed? We had deaf ears in Rowanda like you Charlie wanted us to have in Iraq, and look what happened/is happening there. I know we can not police the world. There has been a steady decline in the democratic party after the death of JFK. Everything that has happened in the last few years you liberals have blamed on Bush. The Tsunami, Florida hurricanes which the liberals blamed on Bush's environmental policies and on and on, and look who is leading the democratic party now! WHAT A JOKE!!

[Dave in Fairfax]

Glen wrote: snip of inaccuracies

Before you pass it on you might want to get a refresher on what really happened.

in Fairfax

[Morris Dovey]

Amen (from a former Army paratrooper who also did a bit of teaching). I'd also like to see us move on from "being right" to "doing right".

-- Morris

[woodcraftssuch]

This same subject line was expressed in Rec. Boats, a real disfunctional crowd, on Memorial Day and it ignited a huge flamefest which is probably still going. It got Capt. Neal, a vet, in a sputtering rage. Memorial Day is for honoring dead servicemen of all wars. Veterans Day is for honoring (and thanking) all veterans of the armed forces. To mix the two up is a very bad thing in Capt. Neal's mind. Sam

[Tom Watson]

Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, was instituted to honor the fallen combatants in The War Between The States.

Its meaning grew to encompass the honoring of dead Americans from all wars.

There is another day which honors both the living and the dead who served their country - Veteran's Day, formerly known as Armistice Day.

It began as an honoring of the dead from The War To End All Wars, which ironically was presumed to have ended at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month - of 1918.

Senator Metzenbaum is now 88 years old and has not served in the Senate since 1995.

History is an interesting discipline - one that I would suggest that you study more diligently.

Tom Watson - WoodDorker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)

(website)

[Mark & Juanita]

... snip

... and your comment above, particularly about the sitting president is not polarizing, ... how?

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