On holidays The Weakonomist likes to post something that has nothing to do with finance.

We celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11th because it marks the day that World War I officially ended.  Veteran’s Day is meant to honor the deceased from war, deceased of war survivors, and currently living veterans of war.  I make this distinction for an important purpose.  Keep reading.

Veteran’s Day means a lot to this country.  We’ve fought in some tough battles and many people were lost, furthermore many people were scarred because of the losses.  Just about everyone has a relative that served in WWII or Vietnam, so we all take this day personally.  We honor the heroes that fought in these wars to protect our way of life in this great country.  I myself am a weak man, and don’t think I have it in me to serve the way these people have.

Unfortunately, as much as I try to honor those that have served on this day, as our civilization moves into the 21st century I’m more and more reminded of other things.  You see, Veteran’s Day in the 1950s and 60s was huge.  We honored the servants of WWI and WWII.  However most of the survivors of these wars have passed away from old age.  We’re left with veterans of Vietnam and Iraq.  These are reminders of mistakes.  These wars have been unprovoked.  Instead of protecting our way of life, we were enforcing it.  We’ve thrown away lives for nothing.

Vietnam saw the loss of thousands of lives and billions of dollars, in the end it was a waste.  There was no patriotism, and instead of welcoming home our troops we protested in the streets.  The Persian Gulf War was at the time not a direct threat to the security of the United States.  At the time of the invasion Saddam Hussein was not someone to be feared by this country.  All his hatred for us stems from our involvement in the affairs of that region up to that point.  The same can be said for those we fight now in Afghanistan and Iraq.  If a foreign country invaded your backyard to chase after one crazy guy and then stayed there for many years, you’d might be taking up arms against them too.  At this point, I almost don’t blame them.

The redcoats we fought in the Revolutionary War may have felt the same way.  Do you think every British soldier really cared whether or not America was free?  Was it vitally important to their personal well being?  Americans were not interested in invading England, we only wanted to be left alone and do things our way.  Whether or not you agree with a specific country’s “Our Way” or not is irrelevant.  I cannot believe that every British soldier that came over to this country only to die a nameless face truly believe what he was doing was right.

Please do not get confused.  This does not detract from my support of veterans.  I can support a veteran from Iraq or the widowed wife if a man that died there and still protest the war.  Someone may have died for a pointless war, but that does not make his death pointless.  When he joined our military he joined because he wanted to do something special.  He wanted to serve in a manner the protected this country.  When he was sent over there he was following his duty because he reports to the president and other high level government.  He believed in his country and trusted that his government was doing the right thing.  He was betrayed by his government.

The folks serving in Iraq and elsewhere that believe in what we are fighting for are delusional.  They don’t want the death of their friends to be in vain, so they create a false reality that helps ease the pain.  John McCain is the perfect example.  No doubt the man suffered, but he’s created a reality that makes his time served and the death of friends make more sense.  It’s a mental disorder, something I would likely suffer from if in the same situation.  It’s not their fault, but it never should have happened.  Unfortunately it is a vicious cycle.  McCain is still on Congress and will support the war to try and make sense of the pointless deaths from 3 decades prior.  Just like our veterans now will someday be elected officials and do the same thing in the next wars.

Do not let people brand war protesters as unsupportive of our troops.  Everywhere I go I see those damn ribbons that say “I Support Our Troops.”  But consider for a moment who supports our troops more:

You have a son that joined the Marines out of high school and rose to a respectable rank.  He was sent to Iraq and has spent a total of 29 months in the country.  You barely talk to him.

I have no close friends in Iraq.  However I voted for someone that is more likely to bring the troops home where they will be safe, despite the fact that I couldn’t disagree more with the man on almost every other political issue.

You are a fool that supports the war to give your loved one’s service meaning.  I support the troops because I want them at home where their meaning will have a direct impact on my country.  Whether he’s driving a cab or running for office, when he’s here he’s with his family and can make an economic contribution to improving our society.

To wrap up, I believe the individuals that serve and their families should be taken care of.  Veteran’s hospitals deserve improvement, pensions and salaries should be raised, and if I’m ever given the opportunity to hire a discharged veteran it would be my absolute honor.  On this day I support the men and women that despite personal beliefs serve this country.  Please honor the deceased and living veterans of all wars.  But also remember the mistakes of our government and hope that one day we won’t have any wars, and therefore no veterans.

By The Weakonomist

The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics.

categories: government, personal