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Memorial Day 2010
What a great time to be in Washington D.C. (Wednesday, Thursday.) We scream and shout and hoot and holler, but the magical American experiment in self-rule continues on. Washington is our Capitol, and a reminder, through its monuments and beauty and bustle, of our nation's specialness, warts and all. (The warts are as much of it as are the glorious bits.)
As almost always when in D.C., I make a detour to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Our sustaining democracy has not come inexpensively, from Concord to Kandahar. Monday, called Memorial Day, is the day we set aside—and have been setting aside since the late 1860s—to honor those who fought for American freedom. We will have our parades and hot dogs, but it is also a somber occasion to be honored by prayer and silence, too.
I always am found wearing a baseball cap. And the last few days, for no particular reason, I've been wearing my Rosie the Riveter cap. The sacrifice of American lives helped win World War II, but American tools and armaments were at least as important. And in our nation, Rosies were as important as Privates and Lieutenants in the Army.
So lets give thanks to our soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines, but also to those who have given them the tools to prevail. And, also, guide your prayers to the families who have most recently lost sons and daughters and husbands and wives and nephews and nieces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(Above and below and center, the Vietnam wall.)
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Comments
Tom:
My dad was a Lt. Col. in the Air Force. My mom was a Lt. in the Air Force. They have a headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. And my son is a Corporal in the Marine Corps right now. Thanks for honoring them with your post today, plus all the others that served, and the their family members and others that work to make this country great.
Mike
Posted by Mike Brown at May 28, 2010 12:21 PM
Thanks Tom for remembering these folks. A generation that sacrificed so much for so many. My dad is now 83 years old. Suffers from many aliments related to the stress of WWII. He is tough. With each hospitalization, I'm as astonished as the doc's at how my dad beats the odds against him and keeps on ticking. These guys are tough, especially the ones that are still living. My mom tells stories of how hard it was to find film, canvas, zippers, etc. during war-time (did you know underwear had buttons during the war?) so many simple items of convenience were not available.
Posted by socialsea at May 28, 2010 1:23 PM
In spite of Hollywood's version of history, the Americans weren't the only ones who fought and died in either World War. In todays political climate where we seem determined to p*ss off the rest of the world, perhaps we could remember those who fought and died beside us - the Canadians, Brits, Aussies, Kiwis... those from occupied countries like Poland who escaped and started their own armies... Indians and Pakistanis... and remember that their sacrifice was no less than ours.
Posted by Brian at May 28, 2010 8:48 PM
May God bless our men and women and their families who presently serve in our Armed Forces.
May God bless those who have served and their families. Thank you, Tom.
May God bless America. No one so honors America in song then this amazing artist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghz4_kikLkE
Posted by Judith Ellis at May 29, 2010 3:50 AM
Brian, I could not agree with your sentiment more wholeheartedly. Nonetheless, Monday is an American holiday honoring our kin whole served and sacriced.
Posted by tom peters at May 29, 2010 11:25 AM
Tom,
I served as an Army typist to pay for college (did nothing more dangerous than drink bad coffee). My dad, however, served for nearly 40 years. Your words are appreciated by all her served.
Brian
Posted by brian Kibby at May 29, 2010 2:59 PM
Brian: I assure you that part of my motivation for signing up for the Navy was their payment of my fuul Cornell tuition. Then, in the past, the errant teenagers to whom the judge said, enlist or go off to reform school.
To serve is to serve, purity of motive not required :)
(As to my Hollywood gripe, I think "greatest generation" is a gratuitous slap in the face to Revolutionary War soldiers, Civil War soldiers, Korean War soldiers, etc. Who the hell is Brokaw to imply that service at the Battle of the Bulge was any more honorable than service in Seoul in the dreadful winter of 1950?)
Posted by tom peters at May 30, 2010 7:43 AM
Silence and prayers. Rememberance and reflection. Where would this nation be today were it not for those who sacrificed their lives in all of our nation's armed conflicts beginning with those who fought in the Revolutionary War through the present? If you ever want to be moved to tears and gain a tremendous amount of respect for the members of our armed services past or present, spend some time on a Memorial Day with those who served in a V.A. hospital, Vetrans Home, or a community event. Their stories of their fallen friends and experiences will touch you deeply and give you a perspective of what honor, integrity, and service before self look like in real life.
Posted by Dave Wheeler at May 30, 2010 1:21 PM
"Who the hell is Brokaw to imply that service at the Battle of the Bulge was any more honorable than service in Seoul in the dreadful winter of 1950?"
Amen, Tom. My dad served in Korea as a very young man and we hardly ever recognize the contributions of these. Yeah, "who in the hell is Brokaw..."
Posted by Judith Ellis at May 30, 2010 1:50 PM
Warts, Tom? This country passed warts so long a go i can hardly remember when. I'd say today we are suffering more from and insidious cancer which is eating us alive day by day. It goes by the names of Congress and our presidency. No brains, no competency, no accountability, no responsibility - just keep spending on behalf of their campaign contributors and lobbyists. We have forgotten who we are and who we were. We are getting hit from every direction by unforeseen consequences of our stupidity. Someone once said, "When just about everything is coming your way, you're obviously in the wrong lane."
On the other subject, all hail our brave and courageous wounded and fallen heros and our prayers to them and all of those who knew and loved them. No better reasons to correct more bad decisions and bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan. If peace is truly our purpose (instead of oil)let's prove it and get out now and begin a new path of walking our talk and using all of the money saved to begin rebuilding our shattered dream.
And let's put our government on notice that business as usual is no longer going to be tolerated from these low lifes and lawyers.
Posted by Steve at May 30, 2010 3:17 PM
"As to my Hollywood gripe, I think "greatest generation" is a gratuitous slap in the face to Revolutionary War soldiers, Civil War soldiers, Korean War soldiers, etc. Who the hell is Brokaw to imply that service at the Battle of the Bulge was any more honorable than service in Seoul in the dreadful winter of 1950?"
It was just a gimmick to sell books. He was just branding himself. He must be a fan, Tom. If he was a business guru,
he might have said something thoughtless like "Netscape is more important than GM". Give the guy a break!
Posted by zorro at May 30, 2010 8:30 PM
In fact, Brokaw's original title for his book was
"The Greatest Generation. Period"
Posted by zorro at May 30, 2010 9:13 PM
"Netscape is more important than GM"
Makes sense to me.
Posted by tom peters at May 31, 2010 3:12 PM
How so, Tom. Pray tell.
Posted by Judith Ellis at May 31, 2010 4:36 PM
Judith, GM made an enormous contribution to the USA in every way. Netscape, as the 1st browser, launched the current age of innovation and econ growth. To each his/her/its time.
(I'm hardly trying to make an ironclad case, just hypothesize.)
(Plus, frankly, Zorro's unabated sarcasm at times gets to me. He blends sarcasm and cruelity with a sharp mind-a truly deadly combination, a tragic one in my view.)
Posted by tom peters at June 1, 2010 7:41 AM
How is it not cruel to say Netscape is more important than GM, which is what you put in this blog a while ago.
You are in a position to influence policy makers. I'm not.
cheapest online viagraYou never take a breath with your push towards globalization which puts Americas out of work. Your ideas can be used to send jobs off shore. They can become talking points to rationalize downsizing. You stood up for Carly Fiorina - someone who made thousands of american jobs disappear.
How is this not cruel? You've referred to the dips in the economy caused by 'creative destruction' simply as churn.
You are not affected by this churn and you shake it off as its just something OTHER PEOPLE have to live through. I see this as cruel. To criticize Brokow for making an over statement is a pot calling the kettle black.
By the way, 'The Greatest Generation' was about the time period from the great depression to the end of WWII. It was not just a war story. It was about how the factory work the women did during the war led to women's liberation. It was about how shortly after WWII, the military was integrated and this led to the civil rights movement. It was about the fact that government could do things right in a big way (can you say invention of the computer and atom bomb?)
Before WWII, the US was a backwater when it came to scientific research. After WWII, we became the place where
of the science frontier. It was the greatest generation, because in many ways, everything we think of when we think of America, is rooted in the changes that came after WWII. And, what disappoints me, today, much of the energy that drives the Republicans comes from people who want to send us back to where it was before the Great Depression.
But Brokow has become a bit full of himself. And, and this just seems to go with the territory when one becomes an icon, so have you. But you are in good company.
Posted by zorro at June 1, 2010 11:34 AM
I'm sure you've seen the latest on the Chinese Ipad, Ipod assembly plant that has a high suicide rate. They interviewed a manager there and he said that this month, management has been able to prevent 30 suicides (Quick - we need 164 reasons why people should not kill themselves) . The people who work there
sleep in dormitories with eight to a room - they work, eat, sleep and then work. Americans can compete with them if we decide to roll back American working conditions to what they were in the 19th century. Before Teddy Roosevelt. By the way, Grover Norquist, and important conservative thinker, is on record as saying he wants the country to go back they way it was before TEDDY ROOSEVELT. How does this make sense? How can anyone who believes in kindness have no problem with American Workers competing with people who work under these conditions? Am I being cruel? To who?
Posted by zorro at June 1, 2010 1:05 PM
Got it, Tom. By Zorro's next comment it can probably be asserted that the feeling is a wee bit mutual. :-) I appreciate you, dear sir.
Posted by Judith Ellis at June 1, 2010 6:07 PM
"By the way, 'The Greatest Generation' was about the time period from the great depression to the end of WWII. It was not just a war story. It was about how the factory work the women did during the war led to women's liberation. It was about how shortly after WWII, the military was integrated and this led to the civil rights movement. It was about the fact that government could do things right in a big way (can you say invention of the computer and atom bomb?)
Before WWII, the US was a backwater when it came to scientific research. After WWII, we became the place where
of the science frontier. It was the greatest generation, because in many ways, everything we think of when we think of America, is rooted in the changes that came after WWII. And, what disappoints me, today, much of the energy that drives the Republicans comes from people who want to send us back to where it was before the Great Depression."
This is beautiful and much appreciated, Zorro. Thank you.
Posted by Judith Ellis at June 1, 2010 6:10 PM
"(Plus, frankly, Zorro's unabated sarcasm at times gets to me. He blends sarcasm and cruelity with a sharp mind-a truly deadly combination, a tragic one in my view.)"
You obviously like Ken Kesey's 'Cuckoos Next'
You have your Nurse Ratched down.
Congratulations!
Posted by zorro at June 1, 2010 8:10 PM
"To each his/her/its time."
Succinctly truthful, Tom. There is also the all-important value of pure employment that enables products to be bought. So, if a time enables the balance sheet of corporations to increase and the pleasure of some to rise without raising the nation as a whole, what is the real value of that time--seeds for a possible future clearly undetermined for the masses? Most of these internet companies have yet to make a profit.
Posted by Judith Ellis at June 1, 2010 8:34 PM
"To each his/her/its time."
BUT - there is a price to pay that people pay and the people
who wind up paying are never people like Tom.
(so far, they aren't people like me either - unless you are like me and don't like living in a country that leaves it's citizens behind in pursuit of grand idea.)
The GM's and the Fords and the US Steels moved many people into the middle class who never would have had a chance of that happening. We need these kinds of companies. Most of the growth we see today moves people from the middle class to the upper middle class or the ruling class, but it is not doing much for people on the lower rungs. Not acknowledging this while considering yourself to be empathetic draws a circle I can't square.
Posted by zorro at June 1, 2010 9:34 PM