by Joe Wallace
Since it’s Veterans Day and because there’s a massive volume of thanks going on, I wanted to throw my two cents in–especially in the thanks department. But first, a bit of background:
I joined the U.S. Air Force in 1991 and had a 13 year career as a writer, editor and producer for Air Force News Agency. I was a reporter, video journalist and trainer in places like Misawa Japan, Keflavik Iceland, and Kunsan South Korea.
In uniform, I’ve traveled the globe, from Honduras to Greenland. I’ve covered natural disasters, rescues, terrorism, celebrities, environmental issues, and many other topics.
Every Vet’s day, people say thanks, which I think is awesome. But I do feel it’s important to recognize the people DOING the thanking. American culture has had a long, hard road out of ignorance, discrimination and mob-thinking on important social issues; the support of our military members is one that I find gets very little attention or praise for forward-thinking.
Vietnam was a very painful time for people in uniform. It was not an all-volunteer force back then, and vets frequently came back home feeling they weren’t welcome because some members of our society couldn’t separate the person in uniform from the issues they were protesting.
The bad old days.
But they’ve changed for the better since then…and how. What shocks me as a veteran is how quickly America learned from that mistake. As a culture, we rarely evolve as quickly as we did on that specific issue.
And that’s one reason I’d like to say thanks back to you–it isn’t often that you see a sudden, overwhelming shift in social conscience with the speed and commitment that Americans gave to our veterans in the wake of Vietnam and the baggage that came with it… supporting the troops regardless of how Americans feel about individual issues related to the military has turned into part of our national fabric.
And that is just as important as the thanks veterans get today.
Joe, thank you for your service, and thanks to all the men and women in uniform around the world.
To your point about “thanking”: During 2009, our family spent the year in New Brunswick, Canada. The town we were in happened to have a large Canadian Forces base nearby, so there were lots of folks in uniform around. As is my custom in the U.S., I always go out of my way to say thank you when I see a soldier. Here, in the U.S., that will usually provoke a humble response thanking me for my support or saying it’s their honor to serve.
In Canada (which is far more anti-war than I realized before living there), most of the soldiers were visibly shocked that someone had thanked them. I found that profoundly saddening.
Thanks, Jake…and everyone else who takes the time to say something to a vet they know. It’s definitely appreciated. The first time it happened to me–someone saying thanks–it wasn’t during wartime, so was COMPLETELY unexpected. But yeah, definitely appreciated.
I want to say thanks to you to Joe for your service in the Air Force. I still remember the day we all went to see you off on Amtrak to St Louis in the MEPS station.
What I want to say is this:
Everyone should always remember the American Veteran not just on November 11th. While the news has a tendancy of always looking at the negativity of situations around the world, the view of the Veteran should never change regardless of the “Political” view someone has. You might not like the political point of view currently in the White House, in Congress or even in the Supreme Court. Always remember that those who serve chose to serve and do so with to reservation on whether or not they agree with the politics of the situation. So if you have a gripe with how the situation is in Afghanistan is, take it out with your Congressman, not the Veteran serving.
Speaking on actual knowledge, the situation here is up one minute and down the next. If the Veterans here have heart felt support it makes them feel like they are appreciated and are more willing to carry on the fight.
Sorry about the rant Joe; I just had to put my comment in.