Task and Purpose, another Veterans site from a more millennial but equally cynical, angry and sad point of view picked this up from the Fayetteville Observer, where reporter Rachel Riley caught a simple, emotionally stunning testament to what trying to turn the world to Jeffersonian Freedom and more opportunities for oil exploration and exploitation by International Oil has done to the United States.
More than 7,500 boots on display at Fort Bragg this month served as a temporary memorial to service members from all branches who have died since 9/11. The boots — which had the service members’ photos and dates of death — were on display for Fort Bragg’s Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s annual Run, Honor and Remember 5k on May 18 and for the 82nd Airborne Division’s run that kicked off All American Week. “It shows the families the service members are still remembered, honored and not forgotten,” said Charlotte Watson, program manager of Fort Bragg’s Survivor Outreach Services…
This was the fourth year that Beth Grimshaw volunteered to help set up the display. One of the boots represented Dr. Mark Taylor, a lieutenant colonel who Grimshaw worked with at Womack Army Medical Center. He was a surgeon assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division Forward Surgical Team. Taylor was killed during a rocket attack on March 20, 2004, in Fallujah, Iraq. “I’ve got some friends’ husbands who are out here,” said Grimshaw, who paused to reflect on May 17. “I’d like to see this out so they’re not forgotten.”
Heading into Memorial Day, Watson said the boots were on display to serve as a reflection of the sacrifices that all military branches have made.
“The true meaning of Memorial Day is not picnics and barbecues, though those are great things, the meaning is paying tribute,” she said.
Eric Bogle wrote of another disastrous if shorter waste of life, treasure and hope, Gallipoli.
“And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, “What are they marching for?”
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all”
Trump wants a parade, neither knowing nor caring that we do this most meaningfully not in recognition or glorification of an individual but in honor of our lost fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers, who served, suffered and in many cases, died. The best reason to impeach Trump is to deny him to get his desired military funeral, procession, parade and display in the White House.
But, this is not the place to do than remind us of what could lie ahead. Rather, lets examine the realities. We have a fine accounting of the dead, the wounded, the disabled and some of those driven to the edge of sanity in the pursuit of something that ceased to make sense when the war spread to Iraq, and still makes no sense tonight. We don’t have a good count at all of the collateral damage in Iraq or Afghanistan; nor, for that matter, do we have any count of the families, the children, the parents, and the friends in this country whose lives were ruined or severely.
We can tabulate the veterans who find that they cannot stand to live any longer but we all know that is an approximation, at best. We can calculate the incidents of domestic violence and drug overdose and child abuse and sexual trauma caused by nightmares, but we have to admit there’s a lot of estimate in there. What we cannot calculate or measure with any accuracy at all is the loss of courage, wisdom, talent and generosity of spirit represented in not only those boots on the grass at Fort Bragg, but in those victims that we can only SWAG which, in NCO statistics means Silly Wild Ass Guess.
Michael is a Retired Army First Sergeant, retired Corporate HR Executive, Occasional Adjunct Professor of Management, Organizational Effectiveness Free Range Consultant, Stoic Philosopher of sorts, Proud Heritage Irish Catholic Apostate…
He went from turning down fellowships to Graduate School after Holy Cross to Fort Jackson and a guy with few teeth from Georgia screaming at me to move his ass! And he enlisted after the draft ended. Twenty-three years active duty from 1974 to 1997 flipping between duty as REMF-Unit designated Grunt to Grunt Unit designated Smart Guy.
Last ten years either an Operations Sergeant Major (4 years) or First Sergeant (6 years). Made the CSM list a week after retirement papers went in.
He went into Human Resources because people said it was like being a First Sergeant.
Michael is retired these days, with time to think, write and occasionally enjoy life a bit. He reads five papers every day, lots of books on what interests me and pays attention. He has basic Socialist leanings. He is also a musician – fifty years plus with a guitar. Ex-marathon runner now lifting weights and grunting a lot to stay sort of in shape.
Michael is deadly serious about the issues but he likes to present with a lot of dry humor and satire. He discomforts the rich, offends the powerful and laughs at the pompous. So, stay awake and pay attention, or you’ll miss the jokes.
He refers to himself as a Progressive with an anarchist tendency. Think Bobby Kennedy Democrat at home with Sinn Fein; either a saintly advocate of sweet reason and justice or an arrogant self-righteous SOB with a traditional First Sergeant’s vulgar mouth and dislike of anyone’s rules but his own. That’s Michael Farrell
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