We are a convenient political shield, much like the unborn. For them, the best of us died on the battlefield, because then we have no complaints and make no demands, but we can be paraded around after our death as a symbol.
And the ones that died don't need the VA to be funded and won't collect disability. We're a prop first and a business expense second, but never anything more than that.
And yet they wonder “why are vets who came home always so disgruntled?!”
Gee, Karen… I dunno! Maybe it’s because we were told we had your support while we were actively risking our lives so you could sit at home comfortably with your Starbucks, but then sneered at and told “thank you for your service” with the same tone as a Southern “bless your heart” as your support vanished like the last dregs of that same coffee…
But maybe I’m also crazy, Karen… who knows?
Edit to specify that “Karen” in this instance is not the person I’m replying to.
Who was the shooter who had probably hundreds to thousands of concussions from being a hand grenade instructor? Seems those explosions in close proximity do bad things to your brain. He knew it, and tried to get help from the VA.
Concussive blasts were not seen on a global scale until WWI. It’s my opinion this forever altered the metal health of the survivors, who then inflicted the same damage on their families. War is the bain of humanity
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees...
Always been the case... once you've served your country, your country doesn't need your services...
Been that way ever since armies were formed I guess... they wrap the role in "Honour" and "Patriotic Duty", but end of the day, you're just an asset to be used and discarded by the people who make the decisions..
Like, I know an army medic. He certainly didn't think those he lost were losers, while he was weeping in the closet after his usual nightly handle of sailor Jerry.
The hate and disgust I have for Trump and his fans scares me.
If we live and come home broken, we’re not just losers, but also moochers and “welfare royalty” who have no skills and are a drain on the nation.
But also, how dare the LGBTQ+ community get a whole single celebration month and the troops/vets only get… checks notes… 3 entire months and several specialty days throughout the year?
The cognitive dissonance and hypocrisy are thick enough to choke on.
Ive been choking for ten years lol. Excellent phrase.
My friend didn't need a special month. He needed help. He needed the VA to be effective. He needed people to stop saying "thank you for your service."
He needed to not have seen his friends die in the first place. And his friends weren't losers. They were brothers and husbands and boyfriends and uncles.
And I am SO tired of hearing “thank you for your service”. When it’s said in the same tone as a Southern “bless your heart”, it has about the same effect as thoughts and prayers after a school shooting.
Miss me with those kinds of “thanks”, please. Actually SUPPORT us the way we were promised instead.
My uncle was a medic in The Pacific during World War 2. He never, ever talked about it, and he and his wife had to sleep in separate beds when he came home due to his night terrors and flashbacks. One of the kindest, humblest, and genuinely "Good" men I've ever known. He kept his mind busy and off the horrendous shit he saw by being a workaholic farmer. But you can't escape your dreams.
Add to that the erroneous assumption that “ALL troops and vets are on the Right politically, because no Lefties know how to use/maintain a firearm because they’re all scared of them.”
Makes me laugh, albeit ruefully, every single time.
I'm probably gonna get shit for sayin this, but i don't support the military largely in part for how they treat their veterans. They'd rather y'all be marytrs for their cause than live to see another day. Why these people say they support the military but refuse to fund services when they get back is just...fucked up and i refuse to lose my life at home or abroad to something like that.
Many go so far as to forget what their parents or grandparents died for in Europe by often falling for the same rhetoric and ideologies they fought against. They should be the people who understand military veterans the most.
It's a bit more than the military itself that's the issue. It's also politicians, typically right wing, who go out of their way to limit or rescind healthcare and support to returning veterans, and by extension, the government itself. And the less said about civilians who willfully refuse to understand history, the better.
My uncle was in Vietnam. My mom rarely talks about it and has banned me from meeting with him. And considering his mental state and stories, I don't blame her.
My mom is anti-military, got some real shit from her in-laws (my brother married into a military family) because their whole family served and she refused to let him serve and warned him about what state her brother is in after the war.
Their kids went to fucking West Point, my brother would have been lucky if he saw another day on American soil when he started serving.
According to the President of the United States of America, the fallen members of the United States of America’s various military branches are “suckers” and “losers”.
Ope, right. He was President at the time he said it. That’s my bad.
I didn’t serve but I was raised by vets that are now MAGAt. The hypocrisy of them supporting that man despite the lessons they taught me about having respect for everyone and a healthy love for this country is insane. I’ve heard those people talking about AWOL troops and draft dodgers so harshly I lost respect for them when they all voted for one.
I used to work with a woman who’s incredibly pro-trump. As a veteran, she once told me that my military leadership didn’t count as leadership in “the real world.” She also mentioned how much money is wasted for the VA. “You people signed up for this,” was her response when I talked about veterans needing medical assistance, etc.
It’s like… Honey, my previous leadership directly either kept people alive or got them killed. In the “real world”, it determines which coffee flavoring we stock in the break room.
She’s right in that they’re are not the same, but 100% not in the way she thinks.
Fair enough. From the evidence I’ve seen, the only good soldier in his mind is the one that hands over their medals to him and kisses his draft dodging derrière.
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u/Gallifrey4637 Jan 03 '25
We are a convenient political shield, much like the unborn. For them, the best of us died on the battlefield, because then we have no complaints and make no demands, but we can be paraded around after our death as a symbol.