Explain to me...

Explain to me...

Let me preface this by saying that my husband is a Vet. He spent more than 13 years in the Navy, and I was a Navy wife for all that time. He's highly decorated, including a commendation that specifically recognizes him for saving the sub he was stationed on at the time. Every man on that sub owes my husband his life and knows it.

I also worked for the Navy and for the Air Force, as a civilian. Our children were Navy brats. Our family has nothing but respect for the military, and we deplore people who disrespect military members, because they don't agree with the war being fought. I don't agree with the war either, but it's not the military grunts' fault. Both sides of the family are full of people currently in or formerly in the military...in all four major branches and even a guy from the Coast Guard in the mix.

But being former military gives us a rather unique perspective on the subject of Veteran's Day and Memorial Day. My daughter summed up that perspective rather nicely in history class the other day, and her teacher had to break up a rather unruly group of high school kids who felt her opinion is "unpatriotic" and "disrespectful." IOW, they took it upon themselves to be offended FOR people like us.

So read her comment and explain to me why anyone in their right minds would find this either unpatriotic or disrespectful...

"People in the military deserve respect all the time, when they are in and when they aren't. It's an insult to designate a single day or two during the year to remember and respect the military members. We have people in a war now. Know how they're treated? Like crap. When my father was in the Navy, he was treated like crap. If you want to respect military members, start with the ones in the military who are being treated bad. (Disregard her poor grammar.) Don't tell me to spend one day a year respecting someone who fought and died fifty years ago."

I'm proud of her. This is an incredibly ADULT take on the subject, IMO. She's not saying to disrespect someone who fought and died fifty years ago, but she rightfully feels the people in the military now should be treated better.