Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

 cincydooley wrote:
Well at least you can feel good about the $5 you occasionally give to Wounded Warriors.

How about something constructive? and not just assuming that is what I do?

Memorial Day is about remembering troops who have passed, whether The Revolutionary War, The Civil War, and up to those lost in Afghanistan; there is no singular way to do this. The holiday for honoring living soldiers, even injured ones, is Veterans Day.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:

 whembly wrote:

Hey... Hillary Clinton voted for the Iraq war during her Senatorial term. You going to hold her to account?

She's on my list yes.

How could she not be?

Where's the animosity coming from? I live in DC ATM and like other posters where I'm tired of these insincere gestures of thanks and futile play acting.

If someone really wants to support our troops, rolling around on a harley with a bit ole POW/MIA flag ain't the way to do it.

Identifying the leaders and policies who got them killed, captured and injured and making damn sure they never work again in this town, that might actually help.

Those guys on harleys are usually our vets from Nam. They fly the flag because they want to remind everyone we still have america soldiers over there, that never made it home. next time you see one, ask them how many are still missing. Ask them which of their friends died so they could live. They truly remember our fallen, much more than people throwing 5 bucks at a charity and going "see I care"

sirlynchmob wrote:

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:

 whembly wrote:

Hey... Hillary Clinton voted for the Iraq war during her Senatorial term. You going to hold her to account?

She's on my list yes.

How could she not be?

Where's the animosity coming from? I live in DC ATM and like other posters where I'm tired of these insincere gestures of thanks and futile play acting.

If someone really wants to support our troops, rolling around on a harley with a bit ole POW/MIA flag ain't the way to do it.

Identifying the leaders and policies who got them killed, captured and injured and making damn sure they never work again in this town, that might actually help.

Those guys on harleys are usually our vets from Nam. They fly the flag because they want to remind everyone we still have america soldiers over there, that never made it home. next time you see one, ask them how many are still missing. Ask them which of their friends died so they could live. They truly remember our fallen, much more than people throwing 5 bucks at a charity and going "see I care"

or time by raising issues once or twice around town about the status of vets in this country. . Or working at a meals on wheel kitchen that mostly serves ww2 and some Vietnam vets because they often can't get 3 meals a day.

 Grey Templar wrote:
It was about WMDs, removing a horrible dictator from power, maybe daddy issues, but whatever it was about it was certainly not about oil.

Nope.

It was a majority of things Iraq was also selling weapons to dangeorus countries, and there was a crime syndancite that was using IRAQ as a main base of operations for a while and selling weapons.

It was motivated by oil, WMDs, and weapons.

There was also the motivation by some to stop the eradication of an entire race in that area.

Our main reason to going there is WMDs but the War Staff knew pretty well that there was a high possibility of them not actually being there.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Ahtman wrote:
Memorial Day is about remembering troops who have passed, whether The Revolutionary War, The Civil War, and up to those lost in Afghanistan; there is no singular way to do this. The holiday for honoring living soldiers, even injured ones, is Veterans Day.

I think people don't understand this though.

If you ask most people they say honoring our veterans and most don't know that isn't exactly memorial day.

It is as you have said its remembering those who have fallen either on active or unactive duty.

Well at least you can feel good about the $5 you occasionally give to Wounded Warriors.

That is incredibly insincere mate.

You don't know his situation so don't assume.

Assumptions only lead to strife.

 Ahtman wrote:
Memorial Day is about remembering troops who have passed, whether The Revolutionary War, The Civil War, and up to those lost in Afghanistan; there is no singular way to do this. The holiday for honoring living soldiers, even injured ones, is Veterans Day.

Bingo.

Two very distinct and purposeful holidays, in my book.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I don't think it was 100% about it. But I do think it is a factor.

It was THE factor for the 1992 war. If Kuwait hadn't have had oil we wouldn't have cared.

 Ahtman wrote:
Memorial Day is about remembering troops who have passed, whether The Revolutionary War, The Civil War, and up to those lost in Afghanistan; there is no singular way to do this. The holiday for honoring living soldiers, even injured ones, is Veterans Day.

Yup. Never really confused the two.

It was originally started a few years after the Civil War and was unofficially called Decoration Day, it took a bit to catch on and become an "official" holiday. The idea was to decorate the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers at Arlington National Cemetary IIRC.

 Easy E wrote:

 cincydooley wrote:

 Easy E wrote:


That doesn't mean Oil wasn't a factor. It just means if it was a factor, we failed spectacularly.

Personally, I think 1 day a year called Veteran's Day is enough for celebrating our military; past, present, and future.

And plenty of other citizen, tax payers, and voters believe differently. I don't think it's too much to ask that we take two days of the entire year to devote to honoring those that serve our country (and in the case of Memorial Day, did so with all that they could give).

Which is their right, hence why it was my personally thoughts.

WWII was still a war of choice. The Japanese or the Germans would not have been able to destroy the US with the weapons available at the time. They could attack and hurt us, but not destroy us.

Both Japan and Germany issued formal declarations of war to the USA and US servicemen and civilians were being killed both in the Pacific and Atlantic. There's no choice when a nation declares war on you, you're at war. Even if the Axis powers didn't declare war (which they did, japan on Dec 7 and Germany on Dec 10) there is no nation on earth that would allow other nations to invade their territory, any territory, and kill their citizens en masse without going to war, certainly not a nation that claims to be a great power.

EDIT: So no, the US actually had no choice in the matter, they were at war whether they liked it or not.

I spent Memorial day calling the parents/wives/children of a handful of my friends who didn't come home with us. I spent a good portion of my day watching old videos of my friends who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. I spent at least a half hour watching the memorial for Sgt Lucas Todd Pyeatt who was unlucky enough to be killed by an IED in Musa Qala, Helmand Province Afghanistan. (only marine in my Unit to die on my first deployment, we had 2 others seriously wounded but only 1 KIA) I spent a good part of my day in a deep depression. And after all the heartache and sadness I went out and cooked on my grill and enjoyed my Family.

This is my two cents. Let's use eminent domain and bury our war dead in Dick Cheney's yard like we did to Lee at Arlington. We could perhaps make Paul Wolfowitz's house into a memorial garden, and maybe even turn Bush's Ranch into a wounded vet's retreat. Also, as a nation we owe General Eric Shinseki an apology.

Also, the only thing more annoying than the people posting stupid clickbait articles and "honor our vets" pictures on Facebook are the whiny posts on Facebook telling me how I should feel and how I should spend Memorial Day.

So, you know, there's that.