First, thank you all for chiming in. I really appreciate your thoughts and ideas. We're going to incorporate most of them in the decision on what happens to it.
In reading your responses it became clear to me that destroying it was a non starter and flat out wrong. Preserving it and either going ahead and displaying it or finding it a new home was the popular advice and seems like a good idea. I still cannot bring myself to display it here so we needed a new home. Enter The Sarge.
Sarge is a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and past president of the local chapter. He called the treasurer and they agreed that it's something they'd love to have, either to auction it off to raise funds to help veterans or to display in their own building. You guys are right, it's too good a piece to simply destroy and Rietsch and Carl too honorable men and warriors to discard. I thought that turning the piece over to Vietnam Veterans was right and proper. Ed is absolutely correct, "Not all aces were heroic and not all heroes were aces. But history doesn't
distinguish morality of the players." I'm happy to turn Cunningham's judgement over to the men and women he served with, however distantly.
So I turned the piece over to Sarge who will present it to the VVA with my thanks and no strings attached. They may judge the value of it as they deem fit and do with it as seems proper to them. I am both relieved and happy to have found honorable and fitting caretakers for what is an awesome work of art.
Thank you all again for weighing in on this. I know that it seems to be a minor thing but matters of honor and integrity are important and need to be given the weight they deserve. Thanks for getting my head straight on this.
Six
Showing posts with label vietnam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vietnam. Show all posts
10 March 2012
14 December 2010
Happy Birthday Sarge
It's my favorite father-in-law's birthday today. What do you get such a man? I did the only thing I could think of. A couple of days ago I took him out to sight in his AR. I brought along my as yet unfired M1A1. I asked this 2 tour Vietnam veteran, a man who carried it's older brother the M14 in combat, to break her in and fire the first shot. It was my way of honoring his service and sacrifice and was absolutely the best way I could think of to let him know how I feel about him.
Love you Pop.
Happy birthday.
Six
10 August 2009
A Note
I haven't been doing the Sarge right and it's time to fess up.
I usually post The Sarges' stuff for him. He sends it to me and I post it. The only problem is the man is a fount of energy and I'm lazy as stink. Therefore I've been letting his submissions lag for lack of time. That's a sin because he's one of America's Warriors and what he thinks and has to say is important.
So.
I've discussed this with The Sarge and given him permission and encouragement to post his stuff on here without The Six's oversight. Translation: I begged him to continue and gave him command decision making authority over the blog.
See, The Sarge is a member of what is now, for all intents and purposes, the senior major combat generation in America. Vietnam Veterans.
Let's face it, the WWII generation is mostly gone now. Ditto for Korea. While the Vietnam Vets are passing in depressing numbers (mostly due to the wide variety of really nasty shit they were exposed to) they are still out there in sufficient numbers to take their rightful place as the Senior Spokesmen for The American Warrior Class.
It's time and past time that we recognize that men like The Sarge and Ed Rasimus (Thunder Tales) are already out there and have assumed their role as our elder Warrior Statesmen. We need them to speak to us, to give of their unique wisdom and experience. The Vietnam Vets are a precious resource who's time, alas, will all too soon come to an end as well. When they're gone our Warrior Heritage will be in the hands of the Boomers.
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with my generation or those who came after us but our perspective, our view of history and current events is different. We were raised in totally different cultures. Boomers have more in common with Gen-Xers and Gen-Y though it hurts my mouth to admit that. We Boomers were trained and taught by the Vietnam Vets and we did the same to our descendants. If the current political problems are any indication, we Boomers made a mess of things.
I've heard the WWII and Korea Vets say the same thing about the Vietnam era vets but they were wrong. The Vietnam Vets did their job in the most difficult time in American history and yes, I do include the WWII era in that. These are men and women who did not come home to parades. Did not come home to handshakes and 'good job' at the airport. No one, literally NO ONE spoke for them and yet they did their jobs and died in massive numbers and came home wounded and disabled to scorn and nightmares.
When you consider the conditions under which they fought, the lack of national will to win and get the thing done, the micro-managing from the White House (Fuck You McNamara, may you rot in Hell), the lack of domestic support, the lack of truly effective military leadership at the highest levels, the treatment of returning service members, the protests, ad nauseum it is in no way hyperbole to say the Vietnam era veterans were the finest Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors this country has ever produced.
Consider. In every other American War you care to name there was one unifying theme, support for the troops even if not for the cause. Oh yes, you can talk about Iraq and the war protests but I lived in the 1960's and I can tell you they bear no resemblance. Our Vietnam Vets were reviled at home and abroad. It was a period of such horrendous national shame that we as a nation shall never be able to completely wash it's stain from our honor. The 1960's and the radicalism it bred and bore changed America in a fundamental way. Evil was allowed to creep in, take root and branch out to all sectors of what was until then a largely unified nation.
The children of those years are now trying hard to become our masters and if we are to fight them successfully then we need the Vietnam Vets to take arms once again. Not physically (but Lord knows that may actually be a possibility) but metaphorically. We need The Sarge, Ed Rasimus and their brothers and sisters at their rightful place at the head of the Warrior Pantheon. A place they deserve and have damn well earned the right to be. I unabashedly respect and love The Sarge and Ed and every Vietnam Vet out there.
I am glad and proud to have The Sarge as my partner on this blog. Not only is he an accomplished Warrior and Vietnam Vet but he's a man who has demonstrated his leadership in peacetime as a Past President of a Vietnam Vets group and a continued voice for all vets. He is also my father-in-law and the only father I've ever had. I want him to speak and opine and give of his heart.
I, no....We need him to.
The Six
I usually post The Sarges' stuff for him. He sends it to me and I post it. The only problem is the man is a fount of energy and I'm lazy as stink. Therefore I've been letting his submissions lag for lack of time. That's a sin because he's one of America's Warriors and what he thinks and has to say is important.
So.
I've discussed this with The Sarge and given him permission and encouragement to post his stuff on here without The Six's oversight. Translation: I begged him to continue and gave him command decision making authority over the blog.
See, The Sarge is a member of what is now, for all intents and purposes, the senior major combat generation in America. Vietnam Veterans.
Let's face it, the WWII generation is mostly gone now. Ditto for Korea. While the Vietnam Vets are passing in depressing numbers (mostly due to the wide variety of really nasty shit they were exposed to) they are still out there in sufficient numbers to take their rightful place as the Senior Spokesmen for The American Warrior Class.
It's time and past time that we recognize that men like The Sarge and Ed Rasimus (Thunder Tales) are already out there and have assumed their role as our elder Warrior Statesmen. We need them to speak to us, to give of their unique wisdom and experience. The Vietnam Vets are a precious resource who's time, alas, will all too soon come to an end as well. When they're gone our Warrior Heritage will be in the hands of the Boomers.
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with my generation or those who came after us but our perspective, our view of history and current events is different. We were raised in totally different cultures. Boomers have more in common with Gen-Xers and Gen-Y though it hurts my mouth to admit that. We Boomers were trained and taught by the Vietnam Vets and we did the same to our descendants. If the current political problems are any indication, we Boomers made a mess of things.
I've heard the WWII and Korea Vets say the same thing about the Vietnam era vets but they were wrong. The Vietnam Vets did their job in the most difficult time in American history and yes, I do include the WWII era in that. These are men and women who did not come home to parades. Did not come home to handshakes and 'good job' at the airport. No one, literally NO ONE spoke for them and yet they did their jobs and died in massive numbers and came home wounded and disabled to scorn and nightmares.
When you consider the conditions under which they fought, the lack of national will to win and get the thing done, the micro-managing from the White House (Fuck You McNamara, may you rot in Hell), the lack of domestic support, the lack of truly effective military leadership at the highest levels, the treatment of returning service members, the protests, ad nauseum it is in no way hyperbole to say the Vietnam era veterans were the finest Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors this country has ever produced.
Consider. In every other American War you care to name there was one unifying theme, support for the troops even if not for the cause. Oh yes, you can talk about Iraq and the war protests but I lived in the 1960's and I can tell you they bear no resemblance. Our Vietnam Vets were reviled at home and abroad. It was a period of such horrendous national shame that we as a nation shall never be able to completely wash it's stain from our honor. The 1960's and the radicalism it bred and bore changed America in a fundamental way. Evil was allowed to creep in, take root and branch out to all sectors of what was until then a largely unified nation.
The children of those years are now trying hard to become our masters and if we are to fight them successfully then we need the Vietnam Vets to take arms once again. Not physically (but Lord knows that may actually be a possibility) but metaphorically. We need The Sarge, Ed Rasimus and their brothers and sisters at their rightful place at the head of the Warrior Pantheon. A place they deserve and have damn well earned the right to be. I unabashedly respect and love The Sarge and Ed and every Vietnam Vet out there.
I am glad and proud to have The Sarge as my partner on this blog. Not only is he an accomplished Warrior and Vietnam Vet but he's a man who has demonstrated his leadership in peacetime as a Past President of a Vietnam Vets group and a continued voice for all vets. He is also my father-in-law and the only father I've ever had. I want him to speak and opine and give of his heart.
I, no....We need him to.
The Six
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