Too many veteran's memorials

winwun · 09-01-2006, 05:13 PM

First, let me say that I am a veteran, having served from 49 thru 52, and am represented by the Korean Veteran's Memorial.

I feel that the separation of the periods, times, conflicts, type, nature, and gender of veterans with each discrete group having their "own" memorial serves only to divide a group of persons who are crying for unity.

There is nothing so sad as a memorial when there is nothing left to memorialize, and ALL veterans share a common bond, whether they fought with muzzle-loaders or nuclear devices, and that bond is the willingness to step up and offer the supreme sacrifice for what they believed in, a free country, and they didn't do it with the thought of having their "own" memorial, but with the hope that they would be worthy to follow in the footsteps of those who had gone before, and with the same mission.

I think the large and diverse number of "memorials" serves only to separate and fractionalize a group who, if joined, would wield a strength so powerful that the petty powers that are only after self-serving ends would quake in their presence.

I suggest that there should be ONE memorial for veterans, for ALL veterans, ALL branches, and for ALL time, because veterans are all members of a select club, and to trivialize their offering with the puny gift of a specialized "memorial" is a slap in the face to the proud people who earned the name of "Veteran" the only way it can be earned, by offering their life to the service and protection of this great nation.

One of the major problems facing our country today is divisevness, when we need and should be seeking unity.

There is no strong single voice, only a multitude of groups with their own narrow agenda, and as a consequence, there is no real single group with any unified sense of purpose, and it is caused by the encouragement of everyone having their own agenda and goal.

My prayers include the fond hope that our veterans will be blessed, and despite the efforts of those who would separate us as a group, that we can somehow unify to the greater glory of our weakened nation.

Leonard

jerry · 09-01-2006, 06:50 PM

I understand what your saying Leonard, but respectfully disagree. The fact that we live in a country where we can put up any memorial we please is beyond words. I think the one memorial idea was tried in places like Red Square

Jay · 09-02-2006, 06:51 AM

I think that virtually ALL of the Veterans have pride in each Veterans' respective service. I also think that virtually ALL Veterans hold services other than the one they served in in very high regard. Me being a former jarhead, can verbally spar with a squid, but some civilian best stay out of it. Memorials for different conflicts have been created by just a few, in the name of many. Vets share the bond, the memories, and emotions of service. It's tough to put that into one memorial. The one memorial that all Vets share, is the US Flag, and now it's legal to desecrate that in the name of free speech. When the time comes, the mental memorial is the only one we can take with us. Semper Fi

Chris · 09-02-2006, 07:07 AM

Quote:

The one memorial that all Vets share, is the US Flag, and now it's legal to desecrate that in the name of free speech. When the time comes, the mental memorial is the only one we can take with us. Semper Fi

Well put.

NRAJOE · 09-02-2006, 12:31 PM

Every vet went through different things in every war...generations/times are different.

I applaud seperate memorials....

.22guy · 09-02-2006, 06:05 PM

Not a veteran myself, but I agree with seperate memorials. People served and died in each conflict. I think they should all be honored. Helps the family members cope as well.

troy2000 · 09-02-2006, 09:54 PM

And I take a little quiet pride in knowing that we faced what we did without breaking.

But personally I'm not into memorials or that sort of thing. That was yesterday and this is today, and there's a whole new bunch of guys out there.

Anyone who wants to memorialize veterans should put his or her efforts into making sure the guys coming home now, and the ones who came home in the past, have the medical care and support they need instead.

And I'm heartily sick of everyone--from talk-show hosts to politicians to the guys who answer Letters to the Editor--thinking that every time they address a veteran they have to start out with an elaborate, "thank you for your service to our country." It doesn't make my day when people do that; it just irritates me.

I hate it worse than I hate the phrase, "thank you, and have a nice day." Someday you guys might see a headline on msnbc.com, about a veteran who choked out a public figure for condescending to him with lip service instead of taking care of brothers in arms who need help. That'll be me.

"Memorial? We don't need no stinking memorial..."

68coupe · 09-26-2006, 06:48 PM

I, too, respectfully disagree with the entire premise that there is no "single" memorial to veterans and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The "Old Guard" stands guard on said memorial 24/7. It has never been left unguarded since its inception, even through the several hurricanes that have hit DC over the years.

V/R 68 coupe

Triplesixkoe · 09-27-2006, 03:47 PM

Don't forget the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in D.C.

My father is a Veteran of 3 wars(WWII, Korea, and Vietnam) and was a POW in Korea for 1.5 years. I strongly belive in separate memorials. Because some have fought and died in one war, and not another. They need to be remembered in the conflict they endured, and the conflict itself needs not to be forgotten. Thank you again to those veterans on this forum.

GLS_okie · 10-05-2006, 08:07 PM

I writer this as a non veteran, but as the son of a WWII veteran. I'm thinking that many of the memorials are done by the veterans to remember their friends who paid the ultimate price for the freedom we have.

raveneap · 10-06-2006, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry

I understand what your saying Leonard, but respectfully disagree. The fact that we live in a country where we can put up any memorial we please is beyond words. I think the one memorial idea was tried in places like Red Square

+1

09-01-2006, 05:13 PM	#1
winwun Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 8 Trader Rating: (0)	Too many veteran's memorials First, let me say that I am a veteran, having served from 49 thru 52, and am represented by the Korean Veteran's Memorial. I feel that the separation of the periods, times, conflicts, type, nature, and gender of veterans with each discrete group having their "own" memorial serves only to divide a group of persons who are crying for unity. There is nothing so sad as a memorial when there is nothing left to memorialize, and ALL veterans share a common bond, whether they fought with muzzle-loaders or nuclear devices, and that bond is the willingness to step up and offer the supreme sacrifice for what they believed in, a free country, and they didn't do it with the thought of having their "own" memorial, but with the hope that they would be worthy to follow in the footsteps of those who had gone before, and with the same mission. I think the large and diverse number of "memorials" serves only to separate and fractionalize a group who, if joined, would wield a strength so powerful that the petty powers that are only after self-serving ends would quake in their presence. I suggest that there should be ONE memorial for veterans, for ALL veterans, ALL branches, and for ALL time, because veterans are all members of a select club, and to trivialize their offering with the puny gift of a specialized "memorial" is a slap in the face to the proud people who earned the name of "Veteran" the only way it can be earned, by offering their life to the service and protection of this great nation. One of the major problems facing our country today is divisevness, when we need and should be seeking unity. There is no strong single voice, only a multitude of groups with their own narrow agenda, and as a consequence, there is no real single group with any unified sense of purpose, and it is caused by the encouragement of everyone having their own agenda and goal. My prayers include the fond hope that our veterans will be blessed, and despite the efforts of those who would separate us as a group, that we can somehow unify to the greater glory of our weakened nation. Leonard

09-01-2006, 06:50 PM	#2
jerry Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 10,757 Trader Rating: (0)	I understand what your saying Leonard, but respectfully disagree. The fact that we live in a country where we can put up any memorial we please is beyond words. I think the one memorial idea was tried in places like Red Square __________________

09-02-2006, 06:51 AM	#3
Jay Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 75 Trader Rating: (0)	I think that virtually ALL of the Veterans have pride in each Veterans' respective service. I also think that virtually ALL Veterans hold services other than the one they served in in very high regard. Me being a former jarhead, can verbally spar with a squid, but some civilian best stay out of it. Memorials for different conflicts have been created by just a few, in the name of many. Vets share the bond, the memories, and emotions of service. It's tough to put that into one memorial. The one memorial that all Vets share, is the US Flag, and now it's legal to desecrate that in the name of free speech. When the time comes, the mental memorial is the only one we can take with us. Semper Fi __________________ "For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected cannot taste."

09-02-2006, 12:31 PM	#5
NRAJOE Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Toledo,OH Posts: 18,992 Trader Rating: (0)	Every vet went through different things in every war...generations/times are different. I applaud seperate memorials.... __________________ U.S. Army 1976-1979 237th Combat Engineers Heilbronn, Germany

09-02-2006, 06:05 PM	#6
.22guy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,056 Trader Rating: (0)	Not a veteran myself, but I agree with seperate memorials. People served and died in each conflict. I think they should all be honored. Helps the family members cope as well. __________________ Guns: they are like baseball cards except they are cool and you can kill things with em. -Billy

09-02-2006, 09:54 PM	#7
troy2000 Resident Armed Liberal Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 8,884 Trader Rating: (0)	I'm a veteran And I take a little quiet pride in knowing that we faced what we did without breaking. But personally I'm not into memorials or that sort of thing. That was yesterday and this is today, and there's a whole new bunch of guys out there. Anyone who wants to memorialize veterans should put his or her efforts into making sure the guys coming home now, and the ones who came home in the past, have the medical care and support they need instead. And I'm heartily sick of everyone--from talk-show hosts to politicians to the guys who answer Letters to the Editor--thinking that every time they address a veteran they have to start out with an elaborate, "thank you for your service to our country." It doesn't make my day when people do that; it just irritates me. I hate it worse than I hate the phrase, "thank you, and have a nice day." Someday you guys might see a headline on msnbc.com, about a veteran who choked out a public figure for condescending to him with lip service instead of taking care of brothers in arms who need help. That'll be me. "Memorial? We don't need no stinking memorial..." __________________ If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. -Anatole France Last edited by troy2000; 09-02-2006 at 11:12 PM.

09-26-2006, 06:48 PM	#8
68coupe Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 1 Trader Rating: (0)	I, too, respectfully disagree with the entire premise that there is no "single" memorial to veterans and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The "Old Guard" stands guard on said memorial 24/7. It has never been left unguarded since its inception, even through the several hurricanes that have hit DC over the years. V/R 68 coupe

09-27-2006, 03:47 PM	#9
Triplesixkoe Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Daytona Beach, Florida Posts: 127 Trader Rating: (0)	Don't forget the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in D.C. My father is a Veteran of 3 wars(WWII, Korea, and Vietnam) and was a POW in Korea for 1.5 years. I strongly belive in separate memorials. Because some have fought and died in one war, and not another. They need to be remembered in the conflict they endured, and the conflict itself needs not to be forgotten. Thank you again to those veterans on this forum.

10-05-2006, 08:07 PM	#10
GLS_okie Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 57 Trader Rating: (0)	I writer this as a non veteran, but as the son of a WWII veteran. I'm thinking that many of the memorials are done by the veterans to remember their friends who paid the ultimate price for the freedom we have.