Last known surviving Great War veteran dies

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

Last known WWI veteran Florence Green dies at 110

This is not only the end of an era...it is, to me, a reminder of just how short-sided people tend to be these days (perhaps we Americans especially). The Great War (World War I, the First World War, the War to End All Wars, or what have you), which began ninety-eight years ago, is now as remote in time to us as the Napoleonic Wars were to the people of 1914, although the events of the Great War still largely shape the modern world to this very day. To a large extent, the people and nations of 1914 had forgotten how truly evil and destructive full-scale war was, as recruits enthusiastically shipped out to the front that summer, wildly cheered by adoring crowds suffused with a sense of glory and adventure. And who, these days, outside of university history departments and the ranks of military buffs, even knows the basic history of the war, why it happened, and how it changed the world?

And now, we can see the very same thing happening to our people as happened to those of 1914, as our Second World War veterans age into their eighties and nineties. As we approach the 75th anniversary of that war's beginning, is it even arguable that the West, by and large, has forgotten just how horrible and desperate full-scale war is? Especially here in the United States, where our armed forces has been all-volunteer for more than a generation, for many people the military has become an unfamiliar, mysterious, and even sinister entity; in my own family, dating back three generations, there has been only a single person who served in the military. I was seriously thinking about enlisting, but by the time I was in high school it was obvious that my health would preclude it; I was later privileged to have a semester internship with the Naval Historical Center (now the Naval History and Heritage Command) in Washington, DC. It was my first time working and socializing with active-duty personnel, and I am thankful for the experience.

Our Congress sees fewer veterans in its ranks every session, the last veteran on the Supreme Court retired in 2010, and we haven't had a president who served on active duty since 1992. I am certainly not saying that military service should be required to hold public office, but I am saying that, as the military becomes further and further removed from the daily lives of our citizens, we continue to lose a personal connection with the men and women who serve and protect our freedom. For all of our flag-waving patriotism, most of us don't know, and will never know, what it is like to have a close friend or family member in harm's way.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank every member of talk_politics who has served in the military of any nation. You are the protectors and guarantors of the freedom and liberty we take so very much for granted.

Comments

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Should we require federal service for federal franchise?

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

Uhh, no, of course not?

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Then why even bring up the lowering number of veterans elected or appointed?

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

Because I think it's indicative of how remote the military, and the sacrifices that go along with military service, have become for most Americans. I'm not saying we should do anything about this, it's merely an observation.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

In part because people that have seen war tend to be less eager to go into one than people that have no idea what it really means and involves.

[kayjayuu.livejournal.com]

To second underlankers input, people in Congress, the Presidency, and the bureaucracy outside of the Pentagon are the ones who put things into motion and make decisions about going to war. If none of them have experienced it personally, they don't know what it's really like.

I'm not a vet. I'm married to a military historian (and have an interest) and was very close to my grandfather who served in The Great War. My aunt served as a nurse in WW2, my uncle was in the Pacific. My mother's generation lost lives, friends, and schoolmates. I live in a state with the highest percentage of currently serving active National Guard members, and a town small enough to know every one of those who don't come back to our state. And those who do.

And even I have no idea what it's like.

[onefatmusicnerd.livejournal.com]

Yes

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

Why not bring back property qualifications and poll taxes as well, then?

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Because those don't make as much sense as service requirements.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I agree with this post.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Great post. And along similar lines: NBC Nightly News had a feature on a nursing home trying to get WW2 vets to put their stories to paper and get them published.

Fascinating and heart breaking at the same time:



Video here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46282406/ns/nightly_news/ns/nightly_news/#.TzGQsuSs_Wg

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Respect for the veterans and those who serve!

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, and thanks for the thanks.

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

Our Congress sees fewer veterans in its ranks every session, the last veteran on the Supreme Court retired in 2010, and we haven't had a president who served on active duty since 1992.

Although I, too, thank our troops for their service, I think military service is mostly immaterial to our government leadership. I believe that military people go in and come out with the same political views and those views, for the most part, remain unchanged by the military.

The three generals that epitomize the military in my politically conscious years have been Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell and David Patreas. All three of these generals graphically understood that the military was a tool of the United States and did not define our country.

To say that the military shaped George W. Bush, who didn’t see combat, and John McCain, who did; would not illustrate that their military service would temper their attitudes toward war.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Interestingly the Presidents most interested in foreign expansion tend to be the ones that did *not* actually serve in wars, the ones that did tend to be the least aggressive.

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

Interestingly the Presidents most interested in foreign expansion tend to be the ones that did *not* actually serve in wars, the ones that did tend to be the least aggressive.

While John McCain wasn’t a president, he was a contender. He pretty much threw a hissy fit with the post Soviet Georgia conflict and has been pretty hawkish. Remember that George HW Bush threw the whole Operation Desert Storm party in Iraq.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Remember also that GHWB understood things like setting clear, reasonable goals and consulting allies and working with what they wanted. His son, however, understood none of the above.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Joining the gratitude (though I ain't no Murrkin) and you're hereby getting punished with a Recommended tag (and there's nothing you can do about it, etcetcblabla).

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

Aww man! lol

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

Why am I having flashbacks to Starship Troopers. And no, not the book because my memory isn't classy that way but instead insists on bringing up Paul Verhoeven's film version.

SERVICE GUARANTEES CITIZENSHIP!

Also, Michael Ironside AND Clancy Brown in the same film? The universe could barely handle that much awesomeness.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I think the myth that the military protects liberty is an excellent way to get young people to sign up. They will not find out how wrong that propaganda really is until they find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle of violence. I generally thank the military for ensuring that the US remains an enslaved nation. It is a less popular sentiment, but it comes closer to the mark.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Think we could stop it if we wanted to? Has the global military industrial complex taken on enough momentum to run all on its own?

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Along those lines, I recommend reading Manchester's history of the Krupp family. They made a killing by selling arms and armor to all comers. The more belligerence in the world, the richer they got.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

May the praise of our ancestors echo into our future.

who has served in the military of any nation

Several years ago, wasn't there a soldier who served under the Iraqi military during 1991 (against americans)? Or was that politicsforum?

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]