In Flanders Field the Poppies Grow

[Occhidiangela]

Today I am reminded of my British friends, in the Royal Navy and the Army, who wore the red poppies on their sweaters when we came to work. It was a uniform variation allowed in honor of the fallen from The Great War (aka the slaughter of a generation) and as time goes on, other wars.

We call it Veterans Day here in the U.S. I'd like to give a shout to the veterans here: Pete, Tal, Ta Me Olta, and now my memory betrays me. King Jim, weren't you in the Navy all those years ago? I know we have a few more.

Lurkers one and all, if you've served under the colors, no matter the flag or nation, please just post a quick hello here. This thread is for you.

In other news, the war within took a few more with it at Fort Hood last week. The memorial service was big news since the President showed up. I think it was well done of him to deliver the personal touch. I find it curious to note that of all the commentary I've seen on the Lounge of the years, this topic didn't get a thread.

I wonder why.

We had a memorial service last week down here, for two pilots who died in a crash along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. They died doing what I used to do a couple of decades ago. Only one body found. Plane and the other body not found. I have two friends in the Coast Guard who were part of the search. Frustrated, they were. There but for the grace of God went I, displaced in time, feeding some random fish while the family weeps. Were it not for an alert crew on an oil rig, the pilot's body that was recovered would not have been spotted, and would probably have drifted out to sea by now. The wind flow was seaward for most of the week after the crash.

The young men had both served over in the hot and nasty part of the world, as most servicemen get the opportunity to do these days. Here are their names:

Lt Brett Travis Miller (He's from Wisconsin)
Lt John Joseph Houston (He's from Houston, Texas)

http://www.caller.com/news/2009/nov/02/nav...ek/?partner=RSS

Graduates of the Naval Academy in 2000 and 2001, they missed by a week Navy's glorious victory over Notre Dame, an event which underscored for me the unimportance of college football. And yet it is something that binds me to so many other friends and strangers, the connection we make over these bizarre rituals played out, in the fall or spring, by champions carrying our colors.

I have noticed that with a war actually on, the metaphors used to describe athletic contests have begun to steer away from war. Not sure why, but I am grateful that I don't hear of gridiron wars anymore, though occasionally I see a game described as a dog fight or a battle. At best, sports competitions are faux battles of champions, or teams of champions, for a school, a city, a state, a nation.

The real thing isn't a game, except in the most cynical sense, the games played by politicians the world over. Game theory gets used sometimes to craft and pursue strategy, grand strategy that includes pouring blood and treasure into pursuit of a goal -- funny, goals are scored in soccer games, and field goals in basketball games. The cross referencing has become embedded in our language, and through that, perhaps in how we think and conceive. Dynamic feedback.

Enough musing, I am not at work today. Maybe I'll putter about the house, and maybe I'll spend an hour or two playing at a war game, like Starcraft or Diablo. Or a quick game of War, with cards, with my son when he gets home from school today.

It permeates.

[Kevin]

As a fellow veteran I too salute all the others, alive and fallen. My family has a long tradition of service, I've got uncles and cousins overseas right now. Though most of us were short timers, 8-12 years on average, most of that time in the Guard or Reserves for many of us, some of my family served 40+ years. WWI, Pacific and European theaters in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Somalia, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, I had family in all of them.

I do understand and respect the sacrifice.

I'm in agreement with you on the war analogies with sport. I understand why they are use but I'm happier not hearing them.

I'd be happier without bloodshed, but I am able to process the realities of the world and know why we have the armed services and support those that have and still are serving.

[Frag]

To all those who have served in a military for the purposes of defending and protecting their populations and interests from the tyrannical and the aggressive, I salute you and yours. For both parties have carried the burden that has allowed the freedom that we all enjoy.

To a long history of my family serving in the U.S. military, I offer my respects publicly here and thank Occhi for the opportunity to do so.

My mother and her family have had a male in the family serving in the military since the American Revolution, generation after generation. In an odd quirk of fate, during WWII I had my mother's side in the S.S., while my grandfather on that side was part of the landing force that later occupied Japan. My father's side we don't have a long history of the activities, however my grandfather was a medic under General Patton and was with his forces up through and into Mainz, I believe, though we do have a picture of him in Berlin later after Soviet forces had captured it. Both my father and I received medical discharges, him from having flat feet from the Army after being drafted for Vietnam and myself from the Navy last fall for physical issues.

Finally, I agree that war permeates the world, and despite my natural pessimism, I believe at some point the causations of war can be put to rest. While I'm not naive enough anymore to believe that will prevent conflict, I do hold out hope that war will no longer be waged in any theatre that doesn't include balls or recreation.

/salute,
~Timothy Farrell

[--Pete]

Hi,

Lurkers one and all, if you've served under the colors, no matter the flag or nation, please just post a quick hello here. This thread is for you.

Thank you for posting this, Occhi.

To all who served, stand proud.

--Pete

[Occhidiangela]

Finally, I agree that war permeates the world, and despite my natural pessimism, I believe at some point the causations of war can be put to rest.

When the last man standing falls, yes, war will end. Until then, it won't. So be it, life's still good regardless of the risks. ;)

Occhi

[Jester]

When the last man standing falls, yes, war will end. Until then, it won't. So be it, life's still good regardless of the risks. ;)

Poor guy must have gone a little off in the head after all that violence, if war didn't end when the second-to-last man standing fell. But I suppose being the last survivor of the human race might do that to you.

Here's hoping it never comes close to that. But I think I'm with you that a permanent end to all war is not in the cards, no matter how good things get.

-Jester

[Occhidiangela]

Here's hoping it never comes close to that.

Aye, I'd like our children to have something other than debt in their future.

Occhi