Dear Dad,
It is November 11, 2021, yep Veteran’s Day, and YES, since you passed on, there have been way too many wars, and way too many reasons to thank more men and women for their service to our nation. Brave, bold, scared, sure, young, innocent, more mature, rougher around the collars, the entire cornucopia of citizens eager, able, hesitant, cautious, concerned, but still motivated have served in the Armed Forces of America. And Dad, there are still the politicians who use the PREMISE of war as a litmus test for defining Patriotism, even though many of them have never taken the ENLISTMENT TEST THEMSELVES. And Dad, as you and I often commented, many of those POLITICIANS loved to wrap the flag around their gaping wound of HYPOCRISY!
But Dad, this Veterans Day, is for me, WAY different than even back in the days of Viet Nam when the VETS, returning to the United States were shunned, or discarded as if they were yesterday’s news. That was and still is a stain on the ideals of what you promised me America could be. Many more wars, Dad, as I mentioned, took place since you have been gone. And I will add my commentary Dad, (you encouraged me to always speak about justice and honor, good and against evil), too many wars had been fought under false pretense, and of course misleading information, by, ONCE AGAIN, politicians placing SELF BEFORE COUNTRY!
Recently, Dad, a stench of Fascism/Authoritarianism has finally crept up from the underbelly hibernating as HATE, which like weeds, with firm roots, never really die. Men and women have wrapped themselves in both the Confederate and Nazi war flags; FLAGS of enemies of the state, who now claim to represent the STATE. As I see it Dad, almost the entire Republican Party has decided to look the other way, IDENTIFY with, or act as if INSURRECTION is as AMERICAN as APPLE PIE or serving our nation. These people are SCARY, TERRIFYING, and DANGEROUS. It is Veterans Day, 2021, and Dad, it just does not feel right to me, knowing that you and so many other Americans fought for freedom, risking life and limb!
