world

Obama honors sacrifice made by veterans

28 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

28 Comments
Login to comment

Obama also said this was the first Veterans Day in a decade with no American troops fighting and dying in Iraq, and that a decade of war in Afghanistan is coming to a close. This is the best gift/news for Americans in a long, long time.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

except for the death of Daniel Carlson in Afghanistan. so maybe facts should be checked.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

President Obama has compassion - it's something Mitt and conservatives in general don't seem to get.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Some of the past wars might fit the bill, but referring to 9/11 in this context is misleading. The subsequent waste of life has nothing to do with the Twin Towers. If US wanted to avenge that they would have been better off invading Saudi Arabia!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Empty words from a man who never served.

Ron Paul, however, has standing to speak on the matter. And veterans, myself included, support Ron Paul for his integrity.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

“the heroes over the generations who have served this country of ours with distinction.”

This is what the day is all about. All the other stuff is just article fluff. As a veteran I am reflecting today on those who still serve and those before me........my father. I miss him.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

@zichi: Bush served. I won't downplay in what capacity because all who served deserve recognition. Agree that a military background is not relevant to becoming an elected official.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

zichi, no , service is not required for the office. That doesn't change the fact that his words are empty.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

President Obama has compassion - it's something Mitt and conservatives in general don't seem to get.

Yet another example of why Americans are so polarized and divided under this president.

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

President Obama has compassion - it's something Mitt and conservatives in general don't seem to get.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20120430-george-w.-bush-leads-wounded-warriors-on-100k-ride.ece

This is real compassion. Personally, I would prefer less talk and more action, but as a heavy smoker, I doubt he could last 3 km.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

At best you could say he half served since it was in the reserves.

AT LEAST he served, better than to not have served at all.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

@zichi:

Yes my good man, the day IS about those who served and those who still do. I salute you on this. Walk or run with vets, place flags on graves. To each his own. I respect ANYONE who takes the time to honor those who served. I'm sure that past, present and future presidents would personally speak to the families of those who gave their lives IF it were possible. Lets not spoil this day of reflection with political agendas.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

" The day isn't about presidents, politicians, prime ministers. It about those who served their country in the military. and remembering all those who never returned. Its not about politics."

While I agree with you in essence, I also recall certain JT left-swingers politicising as Hurricane Sandy was assaulting the Eastern seaboard.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Yup! Bush had a fun time in the Texas Air National guard!! Real close to them steamy tropical jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia???

1 ( +3 / -2 )

@Herve Nmn L'Eisa

Empty words from a man who never served.

My father never served either. In fact, he wasn't too happy at seeing me enlist (heck, one of the reasons he came to America was to keep his son from mandatory enlistment). But the proudest moment in my life is still feeling his arms tightly wrapped around me and hearing his choked "Well done" after the commissioning ceremony.

You don't have to serve to appreciate those who do.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Readers, no further discussion please on who did or didn't serve in the military. It is irrelevant.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

cabadaje, glad for you. I was drafted, released as 1LT. Fortunately, only spent 2~3 months in country. Very unwelcomed upon return by some of the same lefties that today send young people into the lion's den. People like Obama.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

And more than 4 decades later, you still carry a grudge.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Me and a multitude of others.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

We’ve got a lot of people to thank for their efforts in keeping this land of the free and safe, and here I solute!!.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Me and a multitude of others.

Which, somehow, legitimizes making snide comments about a president who was, what, 9, 10 years old at the time? Less? About a holiday dedicated to appreciating military service so you can gripe about how no one appreciated the service you were forced into?

Look, you don't like the president, fine. You don't like that he was elected, fine. But don't pretend your comment (ironically talking about integrity) is anything other than political in origin. And don't categorically state that veterans (such as myself), all support whatever ever opinion you snidely pitch as your position. This is a holiday to remember the those who made the personal decision to, should the situation arise, put themselves in the line of fire to hold the line.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

cabbie, one day you just might understand.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

cabbie, one day you just might understand.

You seem to be under the impression that you are the only one who knows what it is like to be hated simply because of what others have labelled you as. There are those who have had to leave their home countries because the hatred became dangerous. Not only did their soldiers not protect them from danger, they were occasionally the source of that danger.

Nor were things necessarily better in the new world. Unsurprisingly, there were those who did not feel inclined to make my family feel too welcome either. I can say, however, that I never felt in fear of my life for it. I have, on the other hand, seen this sort of hatred in action. Indeed, my decision to join the military, and my actions in the military, have been influenced to a large degree with my refusal to permit this sort of thing to occur If there is anything I can do about it.

So, I know you are trying to sound like a wise old man, burdened with the heavy experience of life, I can understand that, and I can even understand that you are bitter about being forced to do something you didn't like and then be hated for supporting it. It really isn't all that difficult to understand.

However, understanding it does not mean that I have to agree with it. It doesn't even mean that I have to consider it a legitimate reason or excuse. It certainly does not mean that you have the right to do it to others. If others were wrong to treat you badly because of your association with a particular group, you are equally wrong to treat others badly for their association with a given group. There is no functional difference between a group claiming that you are bad because you were in the military, and you saying Obama is bad because he is a leftie.

When all is said and done, the purpose of Veterans Day is to acknowledge those who have worn the cloth of our country. The president did that, and I have no reason to doubt that he sincerely believes and appreciates the sacrifice service brings. You...well, you made it fairly clear that even on the one day set aside specifically for the veterans, your top priority is propaganda politics, and you couldn't even let one positive comment pass if it meant that your political nemesis got credit for it. And when you were corrected on it, your response was to automatically point out times your opponents had politicized a natural disaster, as if that was somehow the equal of a holiday specifically for the remembrance and appreciation of soldiers, past and present.

I will not be responding to your justifications or condescension any more ("cabbie, one day you just might understand"...who do you think you are?). While I understand why you act that way, I did not want to stand by and let you claim that veterans all feel how you feel, or let you imply that you yourself are a veteran of war (2-3 months...really? I am a veteran of two wars, sir, both as enlisted and as an officer). You have stated enough, I think, for others to be able to draw their own conclusions. This is a holiday to remember the warriors, not the politicians, and certainly not the cheerleaders of the politicians.

To those of you still holding the line, I will pass on what I consider to be the most powerful words in the English language:

Thank you.

Well done.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Ron Paul, however, has standing to speak on the matter. And veterans, myself included, support Ron Paul for his integrity.

The election is over. Your man lost. Time to get over it.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

cabadajeNov. 13, 2012 - 11:10AM JST

cabadaje, well written post. . Thank you.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites