Memorial day musings.....

Do you think he'll join the army? It must be scary for you as a mother.

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My own, pragmatic takeaway from this Memorial Day is that having served in 'the' Army, even in the German one, provides an effective way of deflating American chicken hawks. During today's parade, I remarked how glad I was that the war in Iraq is over(ish), and how it should never have been started in the first place. A guy who had been shooting dirty looks at my currently-longish, woolly hair for a while, started lecturing me about patriotism and "supporting our troops". I said "number one, I am German. Number two, I have served in my country's army. Have you?" He immediately shut up. If only it was always that easy!

I hope he doesn't but I'll be okay if he does. My closest exposure to the military has been great so I'm probably not the best judge.

Right now he wants to be a chef and I'm so totally down with that!

I would have loved to see you shoot down the parade goer, you crazy German hippie! I support our troops but I despise it when anyone tells me why I should. I've been known to unleash on a few of them.

Don't you just love it when someone who has never worn a military uniform tells you how 'unpatriotic' it is to not support the wars we're in? "He jests at scars who never felt a wound." Amazing.

It's been with us for at least thousands of years. I don't know what you'd be able to do to shelter him--it's fortunate that he has your brother for an example.

The only time I get angry with people about our soldiers is when I'm in London, and some idiot tries to make faces at the sentries in ceremenial dress at the Tower of London, Buck House etc. They're real soldiers, in many cases just come back from the front line. They may not be able to react to those idiots, but I sure can. I send them away with a flea in their ear.

If some commie got physical with one of them,
what is his designated response to that ?

They're guards, they can defend themselves, and protect their position.

Commies are nice law abiding people who don't cause problems, most of the troublemakers are foreign tourists.

Apparently, some people believe that "commies" run around in blood red t-shirts with an image of Karl Marx silk-screened on them.

If you ever happen to meet members of the British Communist Party you will be overwhelmed by how dull and unthreatening they are. They spend most of their time arguing amongst each other. Only someone like David could feel threatened by one of them.

Even the Fabians seem depressed these days.

After decades of observations, especially those when I was in the military during the Vietnam Era, I have come to the conclusion that "feeling American" comes in more than one flavor. Let me explain, the U.S., prior to 1850, was basically white Protestant and Black. Today, the country is much more diverse. Therefore, many people whose families were here prior to 1850, and are just some type of white Protestant cannot even likely conceptualize being anything other than American. And their patriotism oftentimes is as natural as a duck swimming. However, for an ethnic to feel patriotic, rather than identifying with their co-religionists elsewhere in the world, requires a "personal narrative" of sorts to "conclude" that they identify themselves as being American, regardless of other affiliations.

Now that doesn't mean that ethnics aren't as patriotic as those Americans that do not need a personal narrative, to identify themselves as patriotic Americans; however, it does, I believe, reflect a difference that means the U.S. will never have a war with the same high degree of citizen backing as, for example, Israel had in 1957. Am I making sense, in that when you see yourself as a German, even after attaining U.S. citizenship perhaps, broaching the topic of patriotism is not always the same, based on who one is addressing?

Your theory falls down, foofie, when youlook at the historical facts:

Just one example: during World War Two, the arguably the most valiant (certainly the most decorated) combat unit was the 44d RCT, made up exclusively from second-generation Japanese-Americans. These were perhaps the most patriotic Americans in uniform at the time; they had to prove to the world that they were,in fact, Americans not "dirty Japs." No soldier with Mayflower ancestors could easily claim that.

I have no statistical evidence to back this up, but my gut feeling is that most of the draft dodgers during the Vietnam conflict who went to hide out in Canada were white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Some patriots.

Ethnicity is largely irrelevant when it comes to feelings of "patriotism" towards a country. I'll concede that religion, however, can be a factor. Thus, during the US Wat with Meexico (1846-1848), a large group of Irish-born American soldiers later known as Los Patricios [the 'Patricks'] deserted the US Army, which they saw as commanded exclusively by Protestant Anglo-Saxons, to join their fellow Roman Catholics, the Mexicans. A patriotism of a different sort.

The war in Vietnam, much like the war in Iraq, was started by the US government (*) on a fictitious casus belli. I can't disapprove of any Vietnam-era draftees who refused or avoided having any part in it.
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(*) or at least gratuitously escalated by the US government. . .

In most ways it is fortunate because my brother is so totally cool but in other ways it's unfortunate because I fear Mo has a rather glamorous idea of what being a solider is all about -- they travel to far off places to meet with interesting and notable people and live in nice houses and have aides.

I mean to imply neither approval nor necessarily disapproval; I'm just establishing most likely ethnicity contra Foofie's contention re: patriotism as expressed in a willingness to serve in uniform.

That's fair.

Try directing his attention to the Indianapolis 500.

Edited for clarity.

Willingness to serve might be a criteria, but don't forget that like religion, patriotism is often used a club.