First Step to Honor the Anthem

See there has been much debate regarding the activities of some Athletes (Celebrities) regarding when the Anthem is played at sporting events. The American public is outraged at these activities and I hear that some of the sports owners have created punitive measures if such activities are continued.

This outrage is wrong as it denies the true gesture of respect from these individuals. It further denies them the true reward & value of being an American.

See, the first step to honor the anthem is to STAND. These celebrities do stand. They stand and then, and only then, take a stance of protest. They do not just keep sitting there. They do not gesture in any way but especially in any vulgar way. They just kneel in protest.

They Stand! Repeat after me, they Stand!

The Americanism being denied them is freedom. This is a country born of protest. Some whackadoodle across the ocean acted in some reprehensible ways and we protested. Our protests met with hostile responses and thus the Revolutionary war was a result. The birth of this country was about Freedom. Freedom to make good, and bad, choices.

So here we are a proud bunch of citizens denying other citizens the freedom to protest of which such action was a parent to this country. I do not find such actions antagonizing to my American pride. In fact, I choose the opposite. Whenever someone engages in such polite honorable protest I cheer.

I cheer for them exercising their God given rights to choose. I cheer them living in a country that grants them the freedom to protest the country itself. I cheer for their bravery and let's not lie about this: Doing this is not for the faint of heart.

I cheer for them engaging in freedoms that I sweated and bled to protect. I served, I served at war, and I took an oath to defend this country from its enemies. Foreign or domestic, ones that is. So when I see any person in America trying to deny these celebrities the right to protest, I have to ask are those persons a domestic enemy of the state or do they simply just don't get what being an American means. I settle on blaming our education system as granting such persons the title of "enemy of the state" grants them more honor they have earned. 

However, in closing you, the reader, have every right * freedom to protest their protest. But please return their protest with the some honor and respect with which they gave their protest for us to complain about. After all, fair is fair.

Found out what is wrong with me

It's not incurable but not painlessly solved. I suffer from P.T.S.D.. A VFW friend noticed something about me, pulled me aside, and asked a simple question... the answer of which opened up this unfortunate can of worms that is my life.

"Are you scared?"

Apparently he finally realized that while I act appropriately there is almost no hesitation from action on my part. A hyper state of alert, medically called anxiety, is a common symptom of P.T.S.D.. That may explain why there are triggers in the world that can send me back to Desert Shield in a flashback.

Suddenly I am there listening to Patriot missiles dealing with Scud missiles. In that moment I panic for two reasons: I can't find my gas mask which means I will shortly be dead and I have no idea where the debris from those missiles will fall potentially crushing me or trapping me in the building.

These reasons are highly likely to occur in that environment I was in and I was not momentarily in such an environment. For several weeks, months even, this was what was happening 8 hours a night. When we should have been resting and sleeping we were under that attack, each and every night for 8 hours at a time. You could not comfortably sleep in M.O.P.P. 4 chemical protective gear. (Google MOPP 4, look at the pictures) You can safely pass out, if your lucky, in that mode and gain some rest for the next day's physical/mental requirements.

The bad thing about P.T.S.D. is people have such bad ideas about it. It is the traumatic events you must endure to continue living. That is, I think, a key aspect of the condition: to continue living. To succeed at that there are awful things each of us must face and they can, not will, leave their mark on you. Physically and/or mentally that event will.

In my case, I have not left "fight or flight" mode for a number of decades. This has led to flashbacks, regular nightmares, and constant knee jerk reactions. The VA has become aware of this problem and are willing to assist me in resolving this with me. My old coping mechanisms don't quite work anymore due to the civilian brain injury I suffered, another continue living: event that has left marks. So I will have to let them try to teach me other mechanisms, or medications, to help me with my hyper alert state.

Family Communicating or the Lack Thereof

Before my accident I was motivated to get my siblings to use Skype. This was back before smart phones & tablets were Skype capable. However after Microsoft took over Skype it has mostly become a marketing banner for us non-premium subscribers so I have left Skype.

I've switched to another Instant Messaging & Video application called Discord. Such applications I believe help those of us separated by distance from family members, immediate and extended, to stay connected with each other. Not just connected mind you but more informed, advised, and participating in each others lives. The recent family gathering for my father's funeral helped bring this bad situation once again to my eyes.

These days there isn't a device that is not Skype capable if that is how this connection must happen. Discord is PC and device compliant as well. I love the PC version for reasons I'll happily talk/type about in Discord.

However I put this to all of you, my family and friends, do you want to be connected with me? Do you want the benefit of my experience and/or knowledge at your beck and call? Would you like to help me become, again, a worthwhile individual?

Then Discord up and let us see if we can remove any discord that distance has allowed to creep into our relationships. Message me your Discord ID#, or ask for mine, and lets cure the ailment distance causes.

Herein lies what I currently find offensive

Fellow members of "my" organization has consistently complained about a few of us who attend not in uniform. Being tall and bulky I stand out. So the organization bought us all what we needed as gifts. Mine was for a couple of years of service not just because I was out of uniform.

So my uniform showed up and I was happy until I looked it over, then I got angry. I hate any thing, person, or group that limits my options. I define who I am by my actions, I'll rage against the machine that pre-defines me in any way, shape, or form.

To safely explain, I now have a t-shirt that I "should" wear for all meetings. This t-shirt is in the organizations colors, has the organizations name boldly printed on it, (so far so good right?) and has my current job title on it. CURRENT!!!

See, volunteer would be fair - janitorial volunteer is not. By placing "janitorial volunteer" upon it does this mean I can only be a janitor? Or if someone else rises to that position should I give them my "gift", oops, t-shirt.

And putting job title on the t-shirt is almost always a personal choice, one people make for themselves. Someone else made this decision for me, and just me!. They chose to pay a little extra for this to happen but only for me of the group so lucky to receive such a gift.

Now I'd like to speak up but am I being whiney?

Of course I don't think so, I'm offended that this happened. I feel it's a gesture of disrespect as I held a much more significant job than janitor let me tell you. Just because I stepped down to janitor, it does need to happen!, doesn't mean that is all I am now, all I've contributed, or all I may contribute from now on.

And therein lies what I find offensive.

I have a story to share with two topics.

The first topic dominates the story but is not the primary story that is being told. It just creates the situation for a bunch of young men to live through. And they did live through it, continued on to ripe ages, and inspired some of those around them.

The Vietnam War happened, there are many opinions that can be expressed (some of them my own as well), but the simplest statement is: It happened. It required more personnel than was currently available, or motivated to be available, so the Selective Service was activated and many people were drafted to serve.

This greatly effected 3 young men. Now specific details are not available to me nor do they really matter. What day someone got their draft notice is not exactly relevant to this story. What is relevant was that 3 brothers served during that time period and the choices made from that complicated scenario is the point of this story.

The oldest brother went first and to the honorable U.S.M.C.. Which was a damn fine choice because I can only describe him, yes I know him intimately, as a warrior, a never ending warrior ready for anything life threw at him. Made him difficult to live with, yes, but made him something of an Idol to me. So much so I followed his example later on in my own life.

He went to Vietnam and survived. That was not easy for new troops! What people don't get is no amount of training, NONE, can prepare you for that moment. That moment when combat starts and people start dying around you. Usually in gruesome ways with unpleasant noises. Some of them you know and like, others you have no idea and maybe even hate as those are the enemy. So novice troops have a high casualty rate due to lack of experience. He successfully transformed from a novice to a living warrior.

When his service time was coming to an end, he was eager to go home and stop being attacked, when he found out that his younger brothers was drafted. He choose to be an impediment to his brothers being assigned in Vietnam, as novice troops!, by staying in Vietnam until their enlistments were completed. So his service lasted many years much to the dismay of his family and, more importantly, to his brothers. The one brother completed his time in the Army but the younger brother was still enlisted in the Marines.

To remove the motivation for his older brother to keep in Vietnam the younger brother made himself a problem child. Problem children are quickly dealt with in many ways but the leaders of that time took the easiest route to address that behavior: Misconduct Discharge.

When that happened, the oldest brother came home and the family renewed their intense bond. So much so at several points of their later lives these brothers lived with each other even though wives and children were involved.

The example set by the older brother inspired me to do something similar when I was called upon for Desert Shield/Storm. I had been out of the military for almost a year when that started and I got a phone call from the Army. "Would you be willing to come back?" I was asked and immediately I thought of my brother who was serving as an Infantryman at that exact time. "Yes!" was the answer that I said and I spared my brother, not so in his words I should add, combat service. But I honored family history with that choice.

And that is the key element of this story. That warrior Marine was my uncle, the youngest brother is my Dad. I choose against the Marines due to the way the Marines mishandled, in my opinion, my father's honor and integrity so I joined the Army. But serving is built into my family, men and women alike(!), so when those moments came upon me I always think of what would Dad do?

That Bad Conduct Discharged Marine has been the guiding angel of my life. Uncle Marine inspired the warrior heart of me but Dad, who later became a minister, guided this mind to understand the power of peace and love. So much so that my initial thoughts on any situation are peaceful and helpful. Never violent until that option is chosen by someone else. Considering the skills and heart that the warrior cultivated in me I regularly suggest people to NOT choose that option.

But at the end of this tale we come to the place where I share my primary thought for sharing this gem of family history. Dad has entered the final stage of his wondrous life. While I am sure that I will not accomplish my goal within the time frame involved but I have for many years thought about this goal. With this point approaching I am going to make this goal a goal in my life.

Addressing my Father's discharge upgrade should have been done many decades ago. And the upgrade will have zero financial effect to anyone involved. However the emotional effect will be tremendous. It will be something of an after effect recognition of his honorable choices, one of which I am. I can't imagine how uplifting this would be to my family, immediate and extended.