Drew Dahlsten: "How I Intend to Observe This Day"
In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson introduced the idea for a day to celebrate veterans who had served in World War I. In 1953, after World War II, a Kansas shoe storeowner thought to include all war veterans in this day. This is the holiday we now refer to as Veteran’s Day. Before this past month, I had never given any thought to Veteran’s Day. It was just the holiday the school board scheduled in-service days around. That changed last month when my neighbor Colt, who had been serving in Iraq, came home. My mom called around the neighborhood and had everyone put out their flags. I was surprised when Colt’s mom sent us a thank you saying how much it meant to her that we had shown our appreciation for Colt in this way because she wasn’t sure how people around here viewed the war. That got me thinking. Do we do a good job of supporting the soldiers who are fighting for us? Have we learned how to support our soldiers even when we are unhappy about the war? Has the experience of the soldiers improved since Vietnam?
Since I didn’t really know the answers to these questions, this past week I spoke to some veterans to get their perspective. I called my cousin Steve, who had served in Vietnam. I spoke to Colt, who served in Iraq as well as my Uncle John, who is in the Air Force and who served in Afghanistan. Through a friend, I was also able to e-mail questions to General Petraeus who was the commanding officer in Iraq and who was kind enough to reply. After pondering their responses, I really started understanding how differently the soldiers were treated by the American people, and yet how similar their sacrifice was in both Vietnam and the Middle East. People I know have a common bond through serving their country, yet experiences on completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
When I asked my cousin Steve if we had done a good job of supporting the American troops in Vietnam, he told me, “No. Not really.” And then he kind of chuckled and continued. “Have you seen anything about what went on during that time? Do they teach you that stuff in high school?” I told him my American History class was not there yet, but I had watched a movie on the subject. It focused specifically on the treatment of soldiers back on American soil. When I followed up with the question, “Do you think the support is better now?” he replied, “I think it is. I hope so anyway.” My conversations with my neighbor Colt and Uncle John confirmed Steve’s answer. They both said that the support of American troops is much better now than it has been since World War II. I found this opinion to be true from General Petraeus as well. In answer to the question, “Do you think Americans are doing a good job of supporting the troops?” he answered, “Yes, a wonderful job in fact.” I was glad to see that the attitude of the people that I am a part of had changed in the last thirty-five years. I really started thinking about the opinions of Colt, John, General Petraeus, and Steve as I tried to put myself in their place. I realized how difficult that service must have been, especially when not supported by the American people, and the depth of their sacrifice hit me full on.
My follow up question was, “Have Americans learned how to support our soldiers even when they are unhappy about the war?” General Petraeus summed it up best when he wrote, “Yes. In fact, I saw a sign on a bridge outside Boston a couple of years ago that read: ‘Hate the war, love the troops.’” This attitude is very predominant in the community where I live so I know Colt must have had mixed expectations when he came home. I think I am beginning to understand why it is so important to support the troops thanks to the conversation I had with Uncle John. He pointed out that America at war is like a household. And within a household, the course of action may be argued back and forth but in the end, a plan is laid out and everyone follows it. They may still debate it within their house, but as soon as they set foot out on the street, their arguments are pushed aside and they go forward with a united front. A country that is fighting within itself can never be a successful country. “Public opinion (through the media) becomes a military factor,” said Uncle John on the subject. “If they (Iraq or Vietnam) can’t beat our military strength, they can go after our weakness.” Both Steve and John were of the opinion that if the American people would have been behind the soldiers and the war, Vietnam would have ended a lot faster and with a different outcome than it did. After hearing these things, I realized how important that support is to the soldiers. I thought about participating in the athletics I do if my parents were strongly opposed to them. I would not have continued as I have without their support. If I can, I want to help everyone see this point.
In talking to Colt, he told me about some of the ways they were supported in Iraq. He said some of the best times were when a celebrity would show up and give a show. Those events were fun and uplifting for those guys. He said the best thing though, is getting a letter or package from someone unexpected. When someone unexpected shows they care, it is a very heart warming thing. He said one of the easiest, and most appreciated things you can do, is to tell the soldiers that you are proud of them, especially in a community like mine where a lot of people don’t support the war. John pointed out that a lot of the protesting about the war is coming from the media, and not the people, yet another example of how influential the media is in today’s world.
General Petraeus, in response to a question about protesting, was quick to point out that freedom of speech is one of the things soldiers are fighting for, saying, “This is a democracy and one of our most cherished principles is freedom of speech. That freedom has, rightly and understandably, been exercised in recent years. It is a strength of our nation.” Unfortunately, some people who are protesting don’t realize how dishonoring it is to protest against the soldiers who fight to keep that right.
In my final question, I asked, “What are the biggest differences you have seen between the Iraq and Vietnam wars?” General Petraeus made the point that the Iraq War was very much provoked. With the tragedy that befell America on September 11, 2001, came the wish for revenge. That revenge is what drove us to enter the war we are now involved in. In the Vietnam War, Uncle John made it clear he wasn’t sure if we could justify our involvement. We are always the “good guys” wanting to help everyone. In this case, however, it may not have been our place at that time. Unfortunately, we can’t know for sure. When I asked Steve about the justification of Vietnam, he reflected, “At the time I was pretty indifferent. It was just an experience for me. I didn’t really know that much, but I guess I would say it was justified.” Whether justified or not, I think the lesson Americans learned is that our troops are a part of us and we should never turn against them. They are fighting for all of us.
After I talked with all of these fine men, I really started to appreciate Veteran’s Day, and the people it honors. The bravery they display and have displayed is astounding and very admirable. Without it, there is a good possibility that our world would be a very different place. I admire all who are, were, or will be involved in the military in some form or another. Because finding out about this intrigued me so, I made sure to remind everyone at my school that it was Veteran’s Day. Some people gave me some funny looks and I got my share of people saying, “It is?” Even those people, though, thought about it once they knew. As I was pondering how else I could help support our troops and celebrate Veteran’s Day, I thought of what Colt said about receiving cards. That really hit home with me because it is so easy to send a card. I am going to talk to my principal to see if our school can have every seminar group send out cards to the troops overseas. A seminar is a group of about twelve to fourteen students in our school and every student is part of one. I can only imagine the surprise that will be on the faces of the brave soldiers who get those cards. As I finish this paper, I’m going to start a new document and write some of my own letters to the troops. I hope the meaning of Veteran’s Day will forever stay with me and I will never let its meaning fade. I know now that what those men and women do and have done is a greater service and sacrifice than anyone should have to make. The soldiers of the United States of America deserve all our respect and more. I say we should give it to them on the day that is theirs.
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