...May I wish her - and those brave PATRIOTS - a wonderful, heroic, and awe=inspiring HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
The world which I have been honored to have had as the Country of my birth, and in which I have been privileged to live in all my life as MY COUNTRY, would be far less livable had those heroes, both famous and lessor known, and just plain folks who got tired of being pushed around by a foreign Government, had not had the gumption to do what they did!!!
And please do not forget those who died, and some horribly maimed, in the many wars since that Great Revolution...The War of 1812, when we had to affirm our Independence all over again, and the War of Texan Annexation, otherwise known as the Mexican War, and the most stupid of all Wars, the War of Southern Independence, otherwise known as the "Civil War". And then there was the Spanish American War. And the "War to End All Wars", aka World War One.
And then there was the "Big One" during My Generation - World War Two! Besides the War of Southern Independence; it dwarfed all the other wars combined. While I was too young to serve, I have vivid memories of those who did - I had five brothers who served in both Theaters. One day they are working beside you in a cotton patch picking cotton, and a few days later they were in the Army! And, before you could realize it, you got a letter from them in combat!!!
Strange! You did not moan for those who died in battle as you would someone who died at home. It was not that you loved those KIA less; it was not even that, being in war you expected them to die. It was that the ones at home was with you every day. You had time to get accustomed to the possibility of them being killed in action
Next came the Korean War. I guess it is more personal than any other because I had four brothers who served in that hopeless war, and two of my brothers did not come home!!! I knew many others who did not come home!!!
And then there was Viet Nam. I think about 59,000 young souls were lost in that crazy war! Will we ever learn??? The greatest shame of "Nam" was NOT that we fought the damned war, although that was bad enough!!! No, the shame was, after losing 59,000 of those hallowed souls, we threw in the towel!!!
As usual regarding the wars in the 1900s, we always won the wars, but politicians have always lost the peace!!! Further, they make our military people fight against a STACKED DECK!!! If you are going to fight a war, the only consideration is to WIN IT!!! And that means you fight to win!!! With every thing in your arsenal!!! And you don't start "negotiating" with the enemy until the enemy surrenders!!! The only thing to "negotiate" should be whether the "bigwigs" of the enemy will be executed or spend life in prison!!! (It is my considered opinion that there would never have been a 'Nam if we had continued the Korean War to a sensible conclusion - that means taking ALL of N. K. and combined it with S. K. (China may have postured, but they would NEVER have gone to war against a determined USA. But if they did, we land 63 A-bomb all over China!!! They would have screamed for peace in a New York minute!!!) We are still paying the price of failing to successfully conclude that War!!!
Then the Asia Minor wars followed: The First and Second "Gulf War', the Afghanistan War(s), and, lastly the latest wars in Iraq and Syria. Again, if we had FINISHED the first war, there would never have been a second!!!
Anyway, as you sip that beer, or barbq that steak, or just lallagag around the house, please give a thought to those who fought to conserve these United States. Then, please give another minute and pray that, in the future, we develop leaders who have the foresight, guts, fortitude, determination, perseverance, wisdom to never go to war unless you plan to win it!!!
But all you guys go ahead and have a fantastic celebration on our Country's Birthday!!!!
Roy Burkham
Greenville, TX
The world which I have been honored to have had as the Country of my birth, and in which I have been privileged to live in all my life as MY COUNTRY, would be far less livable had those heroes, both famous and lessor known, and just plain folks who got tired of being pushed around by a foreign Government, had not had the gumption to do what they did!!!
And please do not forget those who died, and some horribly maimed, in the many wars since that Great Revolution...The War of 1812, when we had to affirm our Independence all over again, and the War of Texan Annexation, otherwise known as the Mexican War, and the most stupid of all Wars, the War of Southern Independence, otherwise known as the "Civil War". And then there was the Spanish American War. And the "War to End All Wars", aka World War One.
And then there was the "Big One" during My Generation - World War Two! Besides the War of Southern Independence; it dwarfed all the other wars combined. While I was too young to serve, I have vivid memories of those who did - I had five brothers who served in both Theaters. One day they are working beside you in a cotton patch picking cotton, and a few days later they were in the Army! And, before you could realize it, you got a letter from them in combat!!!
Strange! You did not moan for those who died in battle as you would someone who died at home. It was not that you loved those KIA less; it was not even that, being in war you expected them to die. It was that the ones at home was with you every day. You had time to get accustomed to the possibility of them being killed in action
Next came the Korean War. I guess it is more personal than any other because I had four brothers who served in that hopeless war, and two of my brothers did not come home!!! I knew many others who did not come home!!!
And then there was Viet Nam. I think about 59,000 young souls were lost in that crazy war! Will we ever learn??? The greatest shame of "Nam" was NOT that we fought the damned war, although that was bad enough!!! No, the shame was, after losing 59,000 of those hallowed souls, we threw in the towel!!!
As usual regarding the wars in the 1900s, we always won the wars, but politicians have always lost the peace!!! Further, they make our military people fight against a STACKED DECK!!! If you are going to fight a war, the only consideration is to WIN IT!!! And that means you fight to win!!! With every thing in your arsenal!!! And you don't start "negotiating" with the enemy until the enemy surrenders!!! The only thing to "negotiate" should be whether the "bigwigs" of the enemy will be executed or spend life in prison!!! (It is my considered opinion that there would never have been a 'Nam if we had continued the Korean War to a sensible conclusion - that means taking ALL of N. K. and combined it with S. K. (China may have postured, but they would NEVER have gone to war against a determined USA. But if they did, we land 63 A-bomb all over China!!! They would have screamed for peace in a New York minute!!!) We are still paying the price of failing to successfully conclude that War!!!
Then the Asia Minor wars followed: The First and Second "Gulf War', the Afghanistan War(s), and, lastly the latest wars in Iraq and Syria. Again, if we had FINISHED the first war, there would never have been a second!!!
Anyway, as you sip that beer, or barbq that steak, or just lallagag around the house, please give a thought to those who fought to conserve these United States. Then, please give another minute and pray that, in the future, we develop leaders who have the foresight, guts, fortitude, determination, perseverance, wisdom to never go to war unless you plan to win it!!!
But all you guys go ahead and have a fantastic celebration on our Country's Birthday!!!!
Roy Burkham
Greenville, TX
