Boldness on Veterans Day

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-10King James Version (KJV)

On memorial day, when we know that freedom is not free, we need true liberation in our thinking. In the politically correct world in which we live, no one wants to challenge anything anymore. You cannot be both a citizen and a person, a citizen has limitations, your person-hood goes on forever. The person-hood of your life gives you passion and purpose. Veterans, those who gave their last measure of devotion, their life, thought it was all worth wild. The walking wounded will never forget their comrades with whom they had the "boldness" to serve. 

Writers have tried to romanticize war. Politicians have used war as stepping stones in their career. Stock markets thrive from the demands of war. Fortunes have been built from the spoils of war. AND, few human minds have the ability to comprehend the destruction of war, mentally and physically. 

In 1976, there was a 7.5 earthquake in Guatemala. This writer was in Guatemala city a few months after the earthquake. One does not have the words to describe such destruction... Streets, bridges, railroads. I walked down the street in Guatemala city, too many hazards for traffic, with propped up storefronts, merchants still trying to make a living selling on the street. In the best of times, life in third world countries, is tough. But when the Earth has shaken everything apart, it takes a long time to put everything back together. In the meantime, life must go on. 

The first great question God asked a man, asked of the first man born into this world, God, asking Cain about his brother Able, "And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9). And Cain gave the eternal answer, "Am I my brothers keeper?" Wars like earthquakes, like all other disasters, even like murders, mayhem, are inescapable "shadows of life. Sane human beings do not want problems of any type. Shelter ourselves from problems, protest fellow human beings who bring problems. But, few escape the warp and woof of living. I get so tired of young people talking about making a contribution to the world through their education, through their ministry, Through toil of some type. Most of us just do the best of what we can with what we have. Most of us are just thankful that their are those with the expertise, training intentional fortitude, "guts and spine," To face the challenges of the world in-spite of everything, or anything. 

This old blind veteran has "sensed" many veteran facilities. It is always the same, well paid government bureaucrats "just going through the motions." Once in a while you will find an administrator, nurse or doctor, who actually takes the job of "veteran care" seriously. I don't believe I have ever heard one pleasant remark in a VA facility. A pastor who drove my car to the VA hospital Durham NC many, many, times, said, "they may smile, but they are not happy." Ineptness walking on two legs. 

This totally blind, 100% disabled service connected medical officer, appreciates every good thing that has ever been done for him, but I have sensed the worst in military hospitals... As a staff officer doctor myself, and more recent years as a patient, 

I can truthfully say that the Army did everything possible to save a shatter of vision in one eye. I spent so much time in Army and civilian hospitals... In Boston, the best specialist in the world. At the VA hospital Durham NC, since one of the best eye centers is right across the street at Duke University, the best eye specialists there treated me. 

I was on the second floor of the eye center, just across the street from the VA hospital. My head was completely bandaged from all the surgery. But I could hear the Vietnam protesters yelling outside the VA hospital. These protesters were students from nearby Chapel Hill, from which I graduated, and the several colleges in the Durham area. I said to a black nurse who was " supposedly" taking care of me, "They have no idea what they are doing." She said. "I understand you are a Veteran from across the street, and I want you to know right now that I hate veterans." Then, she proceeded to spit right in my face. I think I was in shock for quit a while. Shortly after the incident, my mother and sister who were worn out from driving from such a long distance, came into the room and I told them what had happened. Of course, they threw a fit, and demanded that my doctor (Banks Anderson, Jr) come immediately. I had been a patient of both Dr. Anderson Jr, and Dr Anderson Sr. Two of the best specialists in the country. Of course he assured them that it would not happen again. That this nurse would be reprimanded. I have no idea what happened. I wrote a letter to the administrators at Duke about the incident, BUT, Duke like every other entity in America, that gets funds of any type from the government, is going to stay within the boundary of political correctness. 

A good example, on this Memorial Day weekend, when the "normal" people have a holiday (this old veteran and his assistant will be working) when the wheels- heels, élites, are enjoying their booz and buffet, just remember, the veterans now, just as always, are happy to get the scraps from the table. My citizenship- Patriotism, in my country, does not end at my clinical death. My person-hood continues eternally. 

#1737