Blog Me No Blogs: HAPPY BIRTHDAY & FTS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY & FTS

BORN IN A TAVERN,
USMC TURNS 229

Jarheads "Celebrate" In Fallujah

From the halls of Montezuma, to the alleys of Fallujah. Guess they'll have to amend that song. Snappy little tune, though. Good marching song. Marching is like dancing, for white guys. A Marine battalion on the parade deck makes the Rockettes look like a bunch of girls.

Uncle Sam's Misguided Children, as we prefer to be known, have often been paraded into bad situations by incompetent politicians. Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die. Manila, Managua, Khe San. We're not always welcomed by cheering civilians, and kissed by hot foreign ladies. In fact, hardly ever. When they send the Marines in, it's way past that.

Still there's the mission, above all things, to be accomplished. No excuses, no bullshitting around. Don't come back until you accomplish your mission. It gets a little confusing when the civilians at the top of the Sacred Chain of Command don't seem to know what the mission is, and have no overall plan to carry it out. Then, the US miltary is like a chainsaw in the hands of a blind man. The tool is bound to be misused. And then misplaced.

That's what'll happen here, again. Deserter In Chief Dubya will enjoy a few photo-ops with crippled troops, and then cut benefits for troops and veterans. There are no special accomodations for men coming back from the war. In fact, DOD and IRS have been known to try to screw money out of guys who can no longer serve, or work a civilian job, or wipe their own asses. And screw their impoverished families, too.

Nothing new there. From Shays' Rebellion to the Bonus Army to Gulf War Syndrome, returning soldiers have always gotten screwed. Even Revolutionary War vets got screwed; like vets of the War of 1812, the Mexican- American War, the Civil War, the Indian Wars, the Spanish- American War, WWI, the Banana Wars, the Korean War, Vietnam, the First Gulf War, pretty much every war, except WWII.

That's because, instead of just a bunch of poor white, black, red and brown "trash" getting sucked up and spit out by the US military, EVERYBODY went to WWII. And when they came home, they took over Congress, and took damned good care of themselves: Houses, health care, educations, the works.

The GI Bill was the only measure that ever really took care of the veterans, because it was written and administered by the Vets themselves. But these same Vets turned right around and screwed the Korean War Vets, and the Vietnam Vets, whom the WWII Vets deliberately deprived of many of the same benefits they themselves had enjoyed, and prospered on. Because Korea and Vietnam weren't "real" wars. Because they weren't "The Big One." Because they weren't fought by the same guys.

Because so many more of the Vets were black and brown and red and poor whites, not represented in Congress: Even though they fought for their country, doing dangerous duty without question, and coming home to pay the same taxes that covered the WWII vets bennies. "Hippies" didn't spit at those Vets in the airports. WWII Vets spat at them in Congress, and that REALLY hurt. Still does.

It remains to be seen what will happen to veterans of this war. So far, it doesn't look good. But we're used to that, right, Gyrines? Semper Fi, and all that happy horseshit. Suck it up. Happy Fuckin' Birthday, and get home in as few pieces as possible. We might have to privatize the VA hospitals, so Bush's cronies can make money off of them. OOO-rah!

"Marine Corpse Birthday"

"Injured Iraq Vets Come Home to Poverty"

"Veterans Benefit History"

"Sea stories"

Send comments to cosanostradamus AT excite DOT com.

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