Comments on Lets have a cocktail...: Stars and Stripes Forever

well played by the flight attendant. it's rea...

2011-11-21T20:24:35.585-05:00

well played by the flight attendant. it's real hard to whine about missing a connecting flight after that.

RE: Your last post about the Nitanny Nitwits...the...

2011-11-14T09:02:05.415-05:00

RE: Your last post about the Nitanny Nitwits...the entire Indictment is on line with the names of the kids redacted to either victim number (I had to stop at 8) or initials.

Google ( Sandusky Indictment ). The grand jury was very forthright in who they thought was lying and who they thought was telling the truth.

Jenny, that was a very nice tribute post and inter...

2011-11-12T23:48:39.687-05:00

Jenny, that was a very nice tribute post and interesting story about the soldier.

Great post. My husband is currently serving and al...

2011-11-12T22:42:56.309-05:00

Great post. My husband is currently serving and always gets sheepishly prideful when people thank him. Perspective is an important life lesson. My Mom passed this summer and as horrible as it was (is), I have gained more perspective from that experience than I could ever explain.

Awesome Veteran's day tribute :) I am so than...

2011-11-12T09:56:48.647-05:00

Awesome Veteran's day tribute :) I am so thankful for all of these men and women...

@Walking Man: thank you for sharing a different in...

2011-11-12T09:10:53.532-05:00

@Walking Man: thank you for sharing a different insight. Both my Father and StepFather serverd as well as my brother so I have seen a different view of military as well. Thank you for bringing up some different points and it is sad and tragic to me that you have so many soldiers coming home and when their service is up, there are not solid jobs for all of them. That is in addition to what you mentioned about the landfill and the piling up of caskets in the past 11 years. I dont know that it will change anytime soon either.

@MommyLisa: Thank you!

2011-11-12T09:08:45.904-05:00

@MommyLisa: Thank you!

@Vanilla...so true and well said, sir.

2011-11-12T09:08:04.594-05:00

@Vanilla...so true and well said, sir.

@Amy and Lick Lick: Thank you! Have a great weeken...

2011-11-12T09:07:02.894-05:00

@Amy and Lick Lick: Thank you! Have a great weekend.

@Pricilla..I cant imagine that time and how so man...

2011-11-12T09:06:43.427-05:00

@Pricilla..I cant imagine that time and how so many young, really young men did not have the choice to join.

@Mom: so happy you are enjoying your time together...

2011-11-12T09:06:05.823-05:00

@Mom: so happy you are enjoying your time together and crossing my fingers it will happen again next year.

@Eva: thank you!

2011-11-12T09:05:46.067-05:00

@Eva: thank you!

As an honorably discharged Non-Combat veteran (unl...

2011-11-12T08:27:07.660-05:00

As an honorably discharged Non-Combat veteran (unless you count fighting the North Atlantic during hurricanes as combat)I will say that it was a good thing you made happen when you got people to realize that their tiny problems did not connect with the soldiers huge upcoming one.

But I will say this too, once the uniform comes off and the wars are over the soldiers/veteran becomes one of the most easily forgotten segments of society. Seriously just among this crop a 13.5% unemployment rate? Untreated mental issues and an ongoing war with the VA with all veterans still alive from all wars.

The nation is only grateful when they can see the solid bulk of a man or woman in uniform.

They don't want to think about Dover AFB dumping remains in a landfill by mistake or even those 8000 aluminum boxes that so far have arrived on C-5 cargo jets in the past 11 years.

Yeah it's good to acknowledge a soldier but a veteran is a used to be soldier and we easily forget them except on 11/11.

I am not bitching here JennyM just putting it out there. I know a few dozen homeless men in Detroit and 90% of them have honorable discharge dd214's. Anyone want to honor a vet? Right now one of the best ways is to help stock your churches food pantry and fill it's clothes closets with winter clothes and keep pushing congress to get the VA to serve them who served. Now you have to be at or just slightly above poverty level to get VA healthcare which comes with costs and co-pays. My brother was out of work for 9 months and had congestive heart failure and they told him to come back in January 2012 because he made to much money in 2010.

I am fortunate so far I used my GI Bill to learn a trade 30+ years ago but if I had to rely on the VA when I broke my neck they would have told me I made too much money the previous year ($32,000). Now that I live on less than 21 I could get them to treat me after a 6 month intake wait.

There is a difference between soldiers and veterans and both groups are easily forgotten seeing as at this moment together they equal 1/2 of 1% of the entire population.

yeah-men sister!

2011-11-11T19:46:58.539-05:00

yeah-men sister!

We are blessed beyond belief and grateful to the d...

2011-11-11T18:16:29.491-05:00

We are blessed beyond belief and grateful to the defenders of our blessings!

Great post, thanks for sharing!

2011-11-11T13:41:50.089-05:00

Great post, thanks for sharing!

Well said JennyMac!

2011-11-11T13:41:16.634-05:00

Well said JennyMac!

Very well written. My husband, who lived through t...

2011-11-11T12:50:59.122-05:00

Very well written. My husband, who lived through the draft of Viet Nam well recalls what it was like not necessarily having a choice as to whether to join or not. It is a precious thing.

What an excellent post. It does put it all in per...

2011-11-11T12:18:59.086-05:00

What an excellent post. It does put it all in perspective. We have many, many friends deployed right now and many who unfortunately will will never come home.
I kissed my hero today. Thankfully he's home this Veterans Day, but next year I don't think we'll be so lucky. :(

That was an excellent post. Perspective is what ...

2011-11-11T11:50:39.705-05:00

That was an excellent post. Perspective is what it's all about!