I'm not a veteran, but I have a lot of relatives who are Veterans, not all of whom are still alive. As far as I know, most of them are/were very patriotic Americans and proudly celebrated Memorial Day, The Fourth of July, and Veterans Day. They would have been insulted if they read a recent article by Laurence M. Vance who suggested these holidays be renamed Military Appreciation Day #1, Military Appreciation Day #2, & Military Appreciation Day #3
And I'm sure most of the Veterans in my family would have been in full agreement with our current Secretary of Defense, James (Mad Dog) Mattis, when he says,
"Be polite, be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet."
"I come in peace, I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes, if you F**k with me, I'll kill you all."
"Fired by Obama to please the Muslims. Hired by Trump to exterminate them."
"When Trump asked Mattis what he really thought of waterboarding, Mad Dog replied: 'I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes, and a couple of beers, and I do better with that than I do with torture.'"
"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for
five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that
ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to
shoot them. Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell
of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with
you. I like brawling."
"The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That being said, there are some assholes in this world that just need to be shot." (I wonder if he was thinking about Rodrigo Duterte when he said that!)
(Sources for James Mattis quotes Here & Here)
And I love all (or most) of the American patriotic song. Songs like,
America (My Country Tis of Thee)
God Bless America (English) & (Spanish)
America the Beutiful
God Bless the USA (English) & (Spanish)
Coming to America, by Neil Diamond
National Anthem
From the Halls of Montezuma (Marine Hymn)
Ballad of the Green Berets
Battle Hymn of the Republic (although, I agree with Laurence M. Vance, don't sing this song in church!)
A Country Boy Can Survive
And I like some of the anti-war songs too. Songs like,
What Are We Fighting for?
War Pigs
Billy Don't Be A Hero (Don't Be a Fool With Your Life)
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
One Tin Soldier
And I like some war songs which are, well, just fun. Like,
Snoopy vs. The Red Baron (Snoopy's Christmas)
There is no question in my mind that America needs a strong military, but I'm sure the Germans felt the same way in the years prior to World War II! Here is some reading and podcasts that you can check out as you reflect on Memorial Day 2017:
Reading:
Michelle Malkin: Memorial Day 2017
Debbie Schlussel: Memorial Day 2017: Solemn Day for Those Who Died, Not Mattresses and Barbecues
None Dare Call it Treason (1964), and None Dare Call it Treason 25 Years Later
(1992), both by John A. Stormer
Ron Paul: President Trump: Toss Your General's War Escalation Plans in the Trash - lewrockwell.com
None Dare Call it Conspiracy (1971), by Gary Allen
Jeb and the Bush Crime Family (2016) , by Roger Stone
Laurence M. Vance: The Crime of Vietnam - lewrockwell.com
Mehdi Hasan: Why Do the North Koreans Hate Us - One Reason - They Remember the Korean War
Who Got Us Into These Endless Wars? (Patrick Buchanan on Why the CFR is Freaking Out) - lewrockwell.com
Paul Craig Roberts: What the North Korean Crisis is Really About - lewrockwell.com
A History of the Council on Foreign Relations...In Our Time (my post)
Podcast:
Hiroshima, Scorched Earth, and Nuclear Warfare - Why We Don't Kill Women and Children, by Pastor Kevin Swanson
