Without Veterans there Would be no U.S.A. by Colonel Bob Pappas, USMC, Retired

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Without Veterans there Would be no U.S.A.
by Colonel Bob Pappas, USMC, Retired
“Thank you” to the thousands of readers of these essays who heeded the exortations and voted for a return to sanity. Not, the Washington Mall “Return to sanity” sponsored by Stewart and Colbert, but a return to sanity by the vast center of the country who understand that Obama and Congressional Democrats have spent at nearly twice the rate of revenues and have increased the national debt to the point where like it or not Americans will be forced to pay confiscatory taxes as part of Obama’s “spreading the wealth around.”
The reckless spending action during these past two years by Congressional Democrats and the Obama Administration is the most serious security threat that this nation faces. The great unwashed, flyover country, ordinary Americans got it, and now hopefully the Congress and Administration will too. Thanks for electing officials who for the most part have promised to adhere to sane policies and legislation that will bring the nation’s fiscal posture back into reasonable balance and stop in its tracks the Obama agenda to “totally change America.”
When Democrats have heretofore gone on their spending binges, it was they alone. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration and Republican Congress followed the classic Democrat model evidently hoping perhaps that it would buy them career status and a fat pension at the end. They broke the traditional fiscally conservative mold and tried to out-democrat the democrats rather than reign in spending so that the economy could catch up. This time the house of cards erected by both parties collapsed and the American people have been left holding the bag. We’ll see how the new Congress proceeds. More on this later.
With that noted, there are about 26 million U.S. Military Veterans, about nine percent of the total census. The bulk of that number are no longer WWII era Veterans, the most celebrated heroes, rather there are the approximately 8 million Vietnam era Veterans who are sadly the most maligned military in U.S. history. Fortunately, the nation as a whole has learned a lesson about its military Veterans and at the least nowadays thanks them for their service. Veterans never make the decision to go to war, no one consults the ones who do the fighting and they may not even agree with the decision, but they go, they fight and some die in the interest of what political leaders declare to be the vital national interests.
Republicans generally get it right, but the political left has never embraced the reality that they would not have a platform from which to spew their vicious venom if it were not for the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who defend the Nation that makes their leftist blather possible. And, shamefully, the Congress has not always stood by the Nation’s Veterans, despite finding both time and funds for snail darter research, helium storage, the study of sexual arousal in anesthetized female rats, not to mention a complete litany of mind boggling wasteful spending.
Despite a rocky start with its consideration of legislation that would require Veterans to individually procure private insurance for medical treatment, the Obama Administration has improved the lot of Veterans spurred by retired Army General Shinseki as the head of the VA, who have suffered psychological injuries with significant initiatives involving Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as other disability programs that are more in keeping with Veterans’ sacrifices.
Today, the United States owes more to its Veterans than it is capable of rendering, most find that a hard pill to swallow considering obvious waste, but they understand and carry the burden imposed on them silently and largely without complaint.
A nation’s greatness is reflected by the manner in which it cares for its Veterans, for it is to them that the nation owes that greatness. From everything one reads America is in decline, not that it has to be that way because that can be changed. Perhaps it is in part because of its long term failure to its Veterans. On this Veterans Day, it is appropriate that Americans pause to reconsider its values, change it priorities and properly honor its long line of active and retired Veterans.
Semper Fidelis

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Wild Thing’s comment………..
God bless Col. Pappas, I love to read his writings. Well said Col and thank you. If you ever see we post your articles know we are grateful for your service and for your continued sharing of yourself in your articles.

….Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67