Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Veterans Day.

First I called into work. I figured it was only a four hour shift and I wanted my day off. My mom, my two friends, a four year old and I headed down to the parade. The crowd, if you even want to call it that, was odd and diverse. The streets were lined with homeless vets a few in wheelchairs, typical middle and lower class families...their children waved American flags, people were hanging out their windows and peaking from their store fronts, vets my aged stood around in their uniforms that didn't fit right anymore or go with their gotees, and there was a group of people who held signs that read, "Bring Our Troops Home" and "Veterans For Peace"...somehow they melted into the parade right behind a high school marching band. We followed the parade for a while, took some pictures, checked out all the sale...nothing exciting. Everyone was complaining that it was freezing and how they didn't want to walk to where the parade ended, so we went back the car. We dropped off my mom, grabbed burritos, and went to where the real action is on Veterans Days...where thousands of Americans really thank all of those who have served...no not the local VA Hosp, not the war memorial down town...the MALL! bullshit. I refuse to buy anything on Veterans Days (unless its food). The mall was completely packed, it was hot and everyone was just looking for some kind of deal. my friend wanted to get a winter coat, so we headed to H&M. I told her I didn't spend a year in Iraq, so she could buy some ugly jacket...i helped her pick one out. We still had the four year old with us. He was running around, screaming and knocking things over. Everyone was staring at us like we were Britney Spears. It was finally time to leave...my friend found a cute coat and I wanted to take a nap.

My mom, my friend and I headed to the nursing home to see my dad. He hadn't seen, "Band Of Bloggers" yet, so we went to check it out again. He doesn't get the History Channel in his room, so we watched it in the dinning room. It was so awkward...the four of us were crowded around a TV and the staff watched it with us. My dad really loved it. Whenever I would come on, he would clap. However, the clapping pissed off one guy in the dinning room...he would just start yelling. He didn't really say anything...but he wouldn't stop yelling until my dad stopped clapping. My dad took a real liking to SPC Gluck. Every time he came on he would repeat his last name and make fun it. Some lady sitting next to us, pissed herself...thank god, the show was almost over with...it was hard to breath. Two other guys came into the room and watched the rest of the show with us. He asked me, "so you guys really kicked butt over there? were you guys in the combat part of Iraq?" what the fuck...the combat part of iraq? i should have stayed home.

5 Comments:

Blogger loose change said...

I feel the same way as you. I stayed in my house for Veterans Day (I just felt that if I went out I would feel let down), I heard the parade from inside my house but didnt watch, wanted to call into work but talked myself out of it and boycotted the mall.

It was interesting. In my dept at work there are about 12 vets most of whom had served over seas at some point, 3 during Desert Storm, one in Kosovo, 3 in Iraq and 2 in Afghanistan. All of whom are also still actively serving in the reserves.

Somehow we all got talking about the things each of us had done and the only things I could come up with that came remotely close but not even close enough to them was that I was once part of a 10,000lb drug bust off the coast of Colombia and the other was that some guys that we were trying to help shot at us in New Orleans. It in a way made me feel a bit less of a vet than them and almost made me wonder what was the point.

Is this me being cynical?

11/17/2007 10:09:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Veteran's Day has always been a solemn day for my family. My father was in the navy for 23 years (16 of those on aircraft carriers... he loved the sea). That and my gf that is in the Air Force... her father was also in the armed services. Growing up on a military base until I graduated high school really has given me //some// more of a glimpse of what we owe to the people who have protected us.

Being a junior at a small and expensive private college, I cannot relate how it may feel on this day, but I always seem to have that slight slump of the history and stories that I have been told, yet it makes me glad that I'm able to be so privileged as to be able to just live a standard life and go to college.

I also have to say that I am in love with your photo. The expression of your face + the black glasses & dress really give you an enigmatic, but elegant look that I find beautiful.

11/25/2007 07:54:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

veterans day deals piss me off. but it's the mainstream, how people handle days that otherwise would be awkward. a sort of channel for all that jumpy nervous energy. i don't pay attention to the parades.

don't mind the way others act, unless it's towards you.

at least the jacket was cute.

En Addle haust,
Der Glaube haust.

12/27/2007 03:38:00 PM  
Blogger ex ssg said...

good afternoon, for vets day my roomie from afg. came down to be part of the parade as my truck was in the parade. pretty cool. a few of the older guys, 70 or so. aksed me hey, whats does oef and oif mean? thinking they were kidding. i turned my back to them and kept talking to my freind. then this vet. comes up with 2 other guys and says really what does that mean? i asked him did you know were still at war? he didn't see the humor. i served just like they did, but. at 42 i volenteered to go. i wasn't drafted and truely at my vfw. i don' think anyone would go if they didn't have to. well back to the parade, when the honor gaurd started fireing in front of us. my roomie and i started searching our sector for ambush sites. it was pretty much all i could not not to stop and ask the protesters what there problem was , and try to explain we went cause we could, so others wouldn't have to.

3/02/2008 04:10:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey ex ssg, the best way to deal with those old, bigotted SOBs is to just ignore their asses and give them the silent tratment like they don't even exist. After all, in their warped minds, WE are responsible for LOSING this war, even if we win it. Just like those miserable, old WWII veterans blamed and STILL TO THIS DAY CONTINUE TO BLAME the Vietnam Veterans.

11/21/2008 01:54:00 AM  

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