Veterans Day

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Duty and Courage...what a fitting tribute, Clay And yet you could have also added a third 'tag', Honor.

My time in the service (eons ago) was shorter than most, longer than some, but educational beyond belief. And the day I graduated "Boot Camp" ranks right up there with the birth of my first child (and each successive one)and uttering the words "I do."

The only thing left to say is always spoken by brother Marines everywhere, and yet it rings true for all service men and women anywhere...Semper Fi.

Thank you for your time and attention, Woody

Very nice, Clay.

Well done, Clay. Thanks to all those who served our country.

As a mom of a former Army reserve member who served our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom, I want to say "Thank YOU" to each and every past and present veteran. It makes no difference if you served during war time or not, just the sacrifice you made being away from your family is enough to say thanks. I am proud to be an American and proud of our military members and their families.

Well done, Clay. May I respectively suggest yet another dogtag labeled, "Country"?

The chain could be filled with others...

Rest easy, fellow patriots. Somehow we will stay the course set on this "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month."

Courage, Duty. Service, Honor. Let's not forget (all year long) who really are the best and the bravest, those that built this country and defended it. Not those who wish to tear it down.

To all those brave ones in my family who served in five wars and to those around the world right now, thank you forever and the Lord God (Adonai YHWH) bless you all.

Here's a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all the servicemen, past and present, that have served or are serving out great country. Thanks also to all those who have paid the ultimate, GOD BLESS YOU, from a greatful nation.

Well done Clay!

Praying for the Troops- Brandy.

Thank you much for your accolades.

Even though I couldn't do much back then as a woman, I tried!

I pray for our soldiers now and for those battered and disabled from former wars I see in the VA wards. Don't forget THEM!

Any time spent in the military is time well spent. I personally believe that all young men should spend at least 2 yrs in the military. It would help them grow up. I know that sounds like socialism but that is one part I do think they get right.

Thanks Clay for honoring us on this day. You are an excellent cartoonist even on the days when I don't agree with your view.

"Let's not forget (all year long) who really are the best and the bravest, those that built this country and defended it."

Well said, Canary.

As President Lincoln said, the consecrating sacrifice of the soldiers looms "far above our poor power to add or detract."

And now for "the great task remaining."

Let us hold these soldiers' lives, their risks, and their sacrifices as the very ground and conscience of our Republic.

"This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day"

The Life of Henry the Fifth -- 4.3

Bravo! IB. Well played!

Well done, Clay. Thank you to all our veterans.

As a proud Vietnam veteran, I sincerely appreciate your recognition of service men and women everywhere and of this special day. While I don't appreciate the Kool-aid drinking, left-wing slant of your typical work, as a patriot I defend your right to express your opinions. For the record, you're Veteran readers will tell you that the second dogtag should be on a small, separate chain. Thanks again.

Duty and courage certainly are exemplified by our men in uniform;they deserve our unfailing support. Duty, courage and especially wisdom are required from our civilian leaders who commit our troops and our country to conflict and danger.

On this Veterans day,let us resolve to hold our leaders to a higher standard. The rush to war and the failure to admit our mistakes have cost us needless lives and treasure. Rarely is conflict the best course forward.

Yes! Rolando is right. The second ID should be able to be placed on a limb.

I'd forgotten that little detail, bop2bebop. Too many years since I wore them...they also had a notch in them.

When I became a Radio Repairman [Light], I took them off along with all metal jewelery.

I still have mine somewhere about.

bop2bebop,

OOP! I don't know why I assigned the comment to Rolando.

I'm Sorry! My comment still stands however.

Welcome to the Blog!

Before you get all weepy, nucanuck, armed conflict [war] is the court of last resort -- it signifies the failure of diplomacy...at which point war becomes the best course...in fact, it becomes the inevitable course for honorable men.

Terrorism is something else -- it is the illegitimate and cowardly child of failed diplomacy and a weak or irresolute spirit. It deliberately targets women, children, and other non-combatants. A quick and overwhelming response, a la Machiavelli, is the ONLY response to these cowards and their supporters. Ask any veteran who has borne the brunt of the equivocator's wobbly-kneed indecision...

Rolando

Your description of terrorism sounds an awful lot like aerial bombing,an American speciality. Surely we're not terrorists also?

Your 'court of last resort' in the case of Iraq was based on trumped up charges. Are you good with that?

nucanuck wrote,

"Your description of terrorism sounds an awful lot like aerial bombing,an American specialty."

Are you freaking kidding me?

Your equivalence meter is seriously whacked.

To the defenders of our great nation,

I apologize on nucanucks behalf. This is your day. Do not let the fools in our midst cause you doubt, nor trouble your conscience. We all owe you a debt that can never be repaid.

Thank you,

One grateful citizen

nucanuck, I think it is patriotic for wanting the USA to be a shining example of justice. People might dissagree on what that means.

All politics aside, I agree with SCOTTYM about just letting this be a day to remember those who have served our country.

Clara, IB, rolando, woody and anyone else I might have missed.... Thank you, for your service. In that regard, all of you have done more than I.

Having transported troops and material for both Gulf Wars I have seen first hand the people who sacrifice for our country. Thank you for your courage and unselfish behavior.

I may of disagreed with sending these troops in this last war, but will never deride these brave patriots. Thank you.

Rolando wrote: "Before you get all weepy, nucanuck, armed conflict [war] is the court of last resort -- it signifies the failure of diplomacy...at which point war becomes the best course...in fact, it becomes the inevitable course for honorable men."

The two wars we are currently involved in were not the result of any failure of "diplomatic efforts." Despite the fact that we, as a nation, were attacked by terrorists who represented no nation, our military was ordered to basically destroy two nations in an act of retribution.

Far more innocent life has been taken than that of those responsible for the attack on our soil. Where is any honor in that?

Those on the ground, in harm's way, who are merely following the orders of superiors, are indeed honorable men and women. They have no choices nor input into the decisions that have been made to invade two countries -- to chase cowardly ghosts who hide behind human shields.

There is no strategy on earth that will bring about an effective and honorable end to either of these wars.

"Terrorism is something else -- it is the illegitimate and cowardly child of failed diplomacy and a weak or irresolute spirit. It deliberately targets women, children, and other non-combatants. A quick and overwhelming response, a la Machiavelli, is the ONLY response to these cowards and their supporters."

I would be in total agreement with all the above, if it were not for the fact that there is no way to isolate the enemy or to lure them into the broad daylight, in order to square off and to then battle to the end.

They have no honor. Honorable tactics are useless. So do we continue to be honorable and continue to lose ground to these chickens or do we become what they have become?

"Ask any veteran who has borne the brunt of the equivocator's wobbly-kneed indecision..."

This may be a foreign concept to you, and I consider you to have been programmed to think the way you do, but there are people in this world who have a conscience, and as such, weigh any decisions to order the taking of human life very carefully, even for the most justifiable of reasons.

After eight long and miserable years, the list of those considered to be "acceptable casualties" of war, has grown to a point that it has come to define just how obscene and ill-advised this excursion into seeking justice has become.

We lost 2,993 innocent lives on 9/11.

In Afghanistan and Iraq, 16,411 DOCUMENTED coalition forces have died in those two countries alone. According to the Iraqi Health Ministry, 87,000 to 95,000 estimated civilian deaths have been recorded in hospitals around the country. In Afghanistan, the numbers of innocent life lost are estimated to be 11,760-30,557.

These wars are no longer an effort to destroy an enemy. They have become nothing less than a quest by those at the top to salvage some imaginary reputation of our military.

"

nucanuck, I think it is patriotic for wanting the USA to be a shining example of justice. People might dissagree on what that means.

All politics aside, I agree with SCOTTYM about just letting this be a day to remember those who have served our country.

Clara, IB, rolando, woody and anyone else I might have missed.... Thank you, for your service. In that regard, all of you have done more than I."

My sentiments too-thanks

Alprova, I can agree somewhat with some points you made... like the two nations we are still at war with. And if the American public could not see through GWB's reasoning to attack Iraq, they obviously are blinded by partisan politics. Bush stated before we went to Iraq, "He tried to kill my Dad." But Alprova,There is no imaginary reputation of our military. The reputation America's military has is well documented and still respected around the world. If we had stayed on course searching only for Bin Laden, just maybe we wouldn't be discussing this subject matter that is irrevelant to thanking all that serves and has served this great country.

And Cbenn 7630, thank your son or daughter, for their service. That is what this forum was about. Thank you all that are and have served.

Not all honorably discharged veterans have access to VA health benefits.

Lack of health care killed 2,266 US Veterans last year

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iXSJa5eFMuXF2Uxwptns_JOxRcMA

Sen. Tom Coburn is blocking a vote on a bill that would significantly expand access to health care for Veterans. Senate Bill 1963.

vtg1955 wrote: "If we had stayed on course searching only for Bin Laden, just maybe we wouldn't be discussing this subject matter that is irrevelant to thanking all that serves and has served this great country."

First of all, I wasn't the one who brought the topic up, and second, while it's nice to set aside a day for thanking veterans, which I absolutely agree with and do, the fact is that these two wars were ongoing yesterday and those guys and gals over there didn't get to take a break, and of course, more lives were lost yesterday as well.

I find any assertion that any discussion of the topic of our current war(s) being irrelevant on a day when we are honoring our veterans to be rather baseless. We will soon be memorializing another group of veterans who sacrificed their lives for....what? The answers to the one word question are numerous and not many of them are worthy of justifying the losses.