wwii
Veteran's Day usually comes and goes with out a lot of hubbub in a lot of areas of the US. I am not sure why. My own town didn't do to much besides close it's gov't offices and put the flags along main street. You know I was 5 years old when the Veitnam Memorial was unvieled. I actually remember my dad and a lot of my uncles being exstatic over it. But also sad and not because of friends they lost during the conflict, but because the Korean War Vets, still didn't have a National Memorial. And they lost friends in that war also.
When I was 17 years old and a Senior in Highschool, myself and a group of Seniors and Juniors from my school participated in Close Up. Which is a School Program that sends Srs and Jrs to DC for a week to learn, discuss, and debate Federal Politics. It is held so many weeks through out the year and your school doesn't necesarily go with other schools from your state. The states that were with us, were WA, MA, MI, WY, NE (us), KS, WVA, and CT. We were paired with one member of our group and two members from another school from another state in the hotel. What was really eye opening was that the Midwest and West State Schools on our week, made a point to add the Vietnam Memorial to our own intinerary, outside of the Close Up one. A lot of us were either asked to go by our parents who have never been to DC since the Memorial was placed and a few of us went to look up family member's names and get pencil shadings of the names. The East States (includiing MI) had no want to go to the Memorial. Said why bother going? That boggled my mind! But again I grew up in a Military family where the majority of the men served and my own brother was currently in the Navy and served during Desert Storm already, my family was Legion and Legion Aux, and I was chosen for the Legion Girl's State my junior year of highschool. AGain a week where the Legion sends down a Girl and Boy to go to their State Capital's for a week with the Help of a College in town. OUrs was UNL that put us up. And we had to go to lecutres, classes, and to the Capital to learn, discuss, and also debate our State Politics and how they worked. I just couldn't comprhend why so many kids didn't want to go to the Memorial. And either could some of the kids from the Midwest and Western States!
And it all goes back to the fact that every once in a while makes news, cities, towns, and communitis in the US all loose soliders in conflicts and wars, but the Midwest and West can loose whole communities from their warriors dying or just not coming back home from serving their country. And if they choose not to come back it isn't because their town or city has nothing to offer them but they choose not to come back because of what they have seen and do not want to put their troubles on to their family and friends.
I finally convinced my ever loving if not irritating Husband finally to join the Legion this summer. I have yet to join the Legion Aux again because I just can't remember to get the enrollment forms to the lady! My mom is looking through her paperwork (she is this town's Legion Aux Vic Pres) to see if she can find me enrollment forms. The lady that I need to give them too is the Enrollment Officer for Bago's Legion Aux and they haven't ordered any enrollment forms lately because not to many women join and now she can't remember what she did with them. I fully urg any and all ex military vetrans of Desert Strom and Iraqi Freedom to join the Legion and have their spouses and children either join the Legion Aux or Sons of the Legion. The WWII vets are dying out (sad to say) but when they finally relinquish control of the Legion the Korian and Veitnam Vets are more than happy to take the Legion over, get it where it needs to be at to address their newer brothers and sisters of the Military and happily hand it over to the Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom vets when it comes time for it.
It is time for our generation of Warriors and their families to step up to the plate and emerse ourselves in to the workings of not only the Legion but also the VFW! To teach these old timers that a new breed of Vet is out there and to also teach our children and down the line our grandchildren to honor and thank our Militery and our Veterans. Once I get my paper work in for the Bago's Legion Aux, I will be the youngest member of spouses at the age of 30 and the older Indian and White ladies have already made comment that they might have me take over Enrollment for them so I can go hit up my friends and their partners to join. And to get their kids to join either the Aux or Sons of the Legion. The ladies have also said they might have me start the paper work to get the Jr. Aux up and going. My own parents are apart of the Legion and Legion Aux in our town but it is dying out because a WWII Vet who runs it won't let the Korian and Veitnam Vets run it and he has driven out all the members, and since I had Randy join Bago's Legion and I will be joining their Aux, they are debating if they join another Legion and Aux and give up their Ajunte (sp?) and Vic Pres position and join a Legion and Aux that accepts the younger and middle age vets with out alinating them like so many WWII vets do!
And on this note: Thank You to all the Vets and Current Service Men!
