Martin of Tours is the patron saint of one of my brothers. I remember helping him make a cardboard shield, covered with aluminum foil, for the school Halloween/All Saints party. He was actually named for our Danish Lutheran grandfather, a veteran of World War I. Who was likely named for Martin Luther. Who in turn was probably named for Martin of Tours.
We have not been a military family. My father was drafted between the Korean and Vietnam wars (he was lucky). He was a gunnery corporal at Ft. Sill. My older sister apparently was conceived on the base down there. The only other male of that generation in my family is my mother's brother, who was in college during Vietnam. When he graduated, he was eligible for the draft but his number was too high that year (does that sound right? -- I'm a little foggy on how the draft worked then). My grandfathers were of prime military age between the World Wars, so they missed out, too.
ReplyDeleteI graduated from high school in 1979, the year draft registration was reinstated; I believe that for several years after Vietnam, high school graduates didn't even need to register. As I understand it, the military brass is happier with today's all-volunteer military than they were with the draft, when 9/10s of the draftees presumably would rather have been anywhere other than in the military.
My older son was somewhat interested in military service. I think, had I encouraged him a little more, he would have done ROTC in high school, and probably saved him and us a boatload of college tuition, too. I didn't want to discourage him if he felt called to service, but I also didn't want to encourage him too much because, frankly, wars scare the p*ss out of me these days.
I've worked with a number of veterans, both women and men, and have had veterans work for me. I work for a veteran right now. They all seem to have come out fine. And there is a certain seriousness of purpose about them which isn't always there in others, especially coddled idiots like me.
My husband was in the infamous Vietnam draft lottery. He and his brother had bet a case of beer on who would have the highest number. K's was 13. His brother's was 17. They decided that neither was a winner since both were sure to be drafted. They split the case of beer and I'm pretty sure drowned their sorrows with it. K ended up serving in the National Guard in an artillery unit for 10 years. Thank goodness it was never called up except for some state and local duties. He was in summer camp at an inconvenient time, when our oldest son was born.
DeleteNot that I have any reason to gripe about that minor inconvenience. Though it was five days before son and dad met, they have had ample time together since. There were unfortunately children of men who died in Vietnam who never met their fathers.
DeleteKatherine - I think you're entitled to gripe about going through childbirth without your husband able to be present.
DeleteI woke up this morning to a veterans story I have been vaguely aware of. In 1952, the Immigration and Nationality Act was created to provide any non-citizen who has served honorably in the U.S. military a path to citizenship regardless of their immigration status. BUT current administration policy discourages them from taking the path and deports people who have served our country for minor post-service legal offenses. The numbers seeking citizenship dropped by 72% starting in 2017, and last year, in a case brought by the ACLU, a judge ordered the administration to Cut.That.Out. Which there is no sign it has. KSAT TV in San Antonio has been doing a series on the veterans' plights. It landed in my mailbox today. About 5,000 non-citizens join up every year in the expectation of becoming citizens, not deportees.
ReplyDeleteI'm not 100% sure, but I remember hearing that my grandfather who served during WWI got expedited citizenship by joining the army. He was never sent overseas, because his entire unit came down with Spanish influenza. Ironically it might have saved his life.
DeleteMy dad was too young for WWII but was the right age for Korea. He has kidded me that I saved him from going there by being born, since at that time they weren't sending those married with children.
I have my grandfather's letters from Fort Custer, where he served during WWI. He reported lots of guys sick with flu. They drilled with mules incessantly. Apparently they were used to haul artillery. He seemed mostly worried about the folks at home getting their corn in okay and whether his sisters had received the verification of his insurance. He was assigned as a corporal in charge of training recruits with mules because he was good with animals.
DeleteDad's uncle was an ambulance driver and directed a makeshift morgue in Belgium. He said guys would be sent there as light duty. Most of them were injured or shell shocked. He believed they avoided the flu by drinking heavily.
Mom's uncle--another Martin--was sent to the trenches and was shot, which probably saved his life and sanity. He said the trenches were full of rats and standing water. If you laid down to sleep and dry your feet the rats would bite you. If you stood up to sleep your feet were never dry and began to rot. Everyone was totally sleep deprived from that and the constant noise.
Jan. 20 can't come soon enough.
DeleteRaber said there were a lot of Filipino sailors on ships in Charleston when he was there. Possibly seeking citizenship status. I thought one way out for Dreamers was military service. Trump and the Archdemon of Immigration, Stephen Miller, have probably put the kibosh on that, but I think Congress bears some blame for not moving on immigration reform.
DeleteRaber is a US Navy veteran. He liked the Martin of Tours story and said he wished Veterans Day was more about living vets who are continuing their service to their communities.
ReplyDeleteI asked him which was harder: A three-year hitch during which he was at sea most of the time on a very small, cramped destroyer with bad coffee and idiot lieutenants, or 30+ years of marriage with someone who refuses to fold underwear the Navy Way.
He still seems to be weighing his response.
In any case, I thanked him for his service.
I admire anyone who is willing to serve, but I've always admired the sailors the most. When the shooting starts, they have nowhere to run, and they must feel like sitting ducks, bobbing out there in the middle of the ocean, and with enemy fire possibly coming from above, below and/or along the surface.
DeleteThe first time Raber went to sea was in a Category 5 hurricane. They take the ships to open water so they don't bang around in the harbor. Like most of the other sailors, he was violently seasick for the first 24 hours. A few guys were impervious to it. Some mechanic nick-named Rock was doing double shifts because, as he said, "Once or twice I felt a little queasy, but I smoked a couple cigarettes and it passed."
DeleteThe chief petty officers pretty much run everything. One night Raber and some of the other navigators were practicing celestial navigation (yes, they still learned stars and sextants in the 1970s, and we have Bowditch on the bookshelf somewhere) and they noticed a bright light on the horizon. They were all taking turns scoping it out and speculating about what it was when the CPO came through and wanted to know what they were doing.
They pointed out the light and asked what he thought it was.
Chief rolled is eyes and said, "It's the goddam moon."
Apparently moonrise looks quite different at sea.
My wife and I were walking along the Milwaukee waterfront one night when we saw a bright red light off the the East. Our first thought was a ship afire. In those pre-cell days, we would have had to walk all the way home before we could call the Coast Guard, and even as we looked the flame got bigger, faded from red to yellow, developed an arc on top and became the most beautiful moonrise we ever watched.
DeleteI've seen a few moonrises over Lake Michigan (and, during my carefree young-adult days, a handful of sunrises). Best damn show around, better than anything on the screen or stage.
DeleteThe best way to honor our war veterans is to make as few of them in the future as we possibly can. I cringe when I hear "defending our freedom" these days. Yes, there's that, but what did the Iraq war have to do with defending our freedom. Or the nearly twenty years in Afghanistan. Going back in history, 200,000 Filipinos were killed defending their freedom by our Marines. I think the best way to honor our veterans is to employ our military honorably.
ReplyDeleteI need to proofread my comments more thoroughly. There can't be two bests. Mea culpa, Jean, teacher of the mother tongue.
DeleteI know! I always sense Jean reading over my shoulder, too! It's why I re-edit my posts about seven times after the initial post.
DeleteHaha, Jim. Keeps our edge sharp.
DeleteI gladly gave up correcting people's writing after I retired. I just assume errors are Evil Auto Correct's fault now.
DeleteI taught far less sentence structure than research methods and organization. But I do remember once trying to explain re use of commas with grammatical ejaculations. I believe most teachers prefer the term "interjection" now in order to prevent the entire class from reverting to age 13.
Jean, about people reverting to age 13, when I was a schoolkid, the sisters used to call short prayers ejaculations. Nowadays we call them "aspirations ".
DeleteMy aunt was a WAVE. One uncle flew in B-29s in Asia, and a younger uncle served stateside during the Korean war. Dad was first deferred as a steelworker then as my father.
ReplyDeleteMy aunt was married to a Navy Captain; she met him when both served in the Pentagon. By that time she was a civilian and worked in the Intelligence library. He was a career officer mostly served shoreside. Was a Navy attache in Korea.
Both were strong Democrats. Neither had strong views about the military or military service. My aunt saw her service as quite ordinary and did not appreciate attempts to honor her.
I saw a note today re: the Pentagon kerfuffle going on today with Trump firing the top civilians and bringing in presumably-more-pliant replacements. One of the top generals pointedly said, 'Our oath is not to an individual.' Tremendously reassuring. But better not to put anyone to the test re: where their loyalties lie.
DeleteApropos of nothing I am paying bills today. I just picked up the archdiocese's annual fund drive appeal. On the form under "other ways to give" was this statement: "Please contact us about a gift of grain or livestock."
DeleteJust to see the look on their face I would enjoy walking into the chancery leading a calf.
Katherine, that is really interesting about the grain and livestock. I guess the archdiocese would then sell those goods on the cash market? I'm picturing a monsignor leading a line of hogs down the ramp off the back of the livestock truck ...
DeleteAlternatively, livestock and grain were used for Temple sacrifice. What do they have in mind? :-)
It reminds me that, when we went to mass one Sunday in Las Vegas, the presider reminded everyone the casino chips were accepted in the collection baskets.
My sister who is in the know about these things tells me it's all done through transactions with the grain elevators and sale barns. ( How you tell if someone is from western or eastern Nebraska, western calls them sale barns, eastern calls them livestock pavilions). No farm products actually end up on the cathedral steps. But there's some kind of tax advantage for the ag producers to do it this way, especially in a year when commodity prices aren't great.
DeleteThat's funny that people in Vegas can throw casino chips in the collection basket!
DeleteOk. So if I'm a farmer, I donate 100 bushels of wheat to the archdiocese. The transaction takes place on paper, but I don't actually deliver the grain; I maintain possession of it. At that point, the archdiocese owns the grain, but I am holding it for the archdiocese. And then on its behalf, I take the grain to the local elevator, which issues the archdiocese a check, which I drop into the mailbox to get delivered to them. Something like that?
DeleteThat's how I am understanding it. My sister has been on the boards of several organizations which accept charitable contributions. I guess it isn't unusual, say, for a farmer to donate a load of grain toward the fund drive to build a new library. The library never actually sees the grain, but gets the money. It seems to be a win/win for both parties.
Delete