The pain and the loss don't stop on the battlefield or in those rows of flags it goes on for a lifetime in those who remain.
Thank you for your piece on
Memorial Day, and drawing attention to the cost of war to families. No one
seems to ever get this, instead, assuming every family member is interested
only in glorifying the death of their loved one. As a war widow for the past 45
years, I know, first hand, that your words are true; the hurt never does go
away.
I was once asked to plan a
Veteran's Day parade, but when my town learned I planned to include disabled
vets and Gold Star families in the parade, they replaced me with someone who
planned a parade full of flags and war-mongering. This was in the late 70s, and
I'm glad to see that times have changed a little bit - but not much. People
still want to glorify war, which is probably why attention goes to Gold Star
moms and dads, but rarely to widows. We're an inconvenient truth. Much easier
to accept the effects of war if the emphasis goes only to glorifying the dead;
never mind about the frequent cuts to benefits for widows and children, or
having to answer the question, "why did Daddy die?"
Are you aware that kids of
dead soldiers lose their health coverage at age 18 (or 23 if going to college)?
Every other kid is covered under the Affordable Care Act - but not the kids of
dead soldiers.
There is a wealth of nasty
things our country does to Gold Star families. I wish someone would shine a
light on the issue. Are you interested?
Thank you very much for
writing your article. I hope people will read it and come to a better
understanding of what we create when we create war.
Nancy
(Personal contact information
removed at the writer's request)
It is easy to invite some friends
over and grill a few hot dogs or burgers or go to the beach for a great day in
the sun and forget the terrible cost Memorial Day symbolizes for the people
most directly affected.
The pain and the loss don't stop
on the battlefield or in those rows of flags it goes on for a lifetime in those
who remain.
If you know someone, who has lost a loved one to war put them in
a special place in your prayers and not just on Memorial Day but every day.
E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com
or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share
on Facebook.
See Doc's Photo
Gallery at Bay Post Photos.
Disclosures:
Contributor: Bob Gualtieri for Pinellas County Sheriff
No comments:
Post a Comment