Today is Flag Day. Because I’m a disabled veteran, people imagine I have two responses to patriotism. Both are extremes. They feel I am either an absolute zealot in favor of my country or because my service has left me disabled, I have a negative view. Neither is correct. I support our country, but I know it doesn’t always get things right. I saw Vietnam up close and personal as that say. That was a bad war. Someday when you have two or three hours to spare, I will be happy to explain why. I think our intent was good. However, it came out of thinking from the 1950s and the fear of communism. Ho Chi Minh approached President Roosevelt during World War II and asked for support for the removal of the French from his country after the war. President Roosevelt again for reasons lying in the past refused Ho Chi Minh’s request. Ho Chi Minh then turned to the other major power in the world to help his country. They happen happened to be communist so when they supported him he became a communist. Ho Chi Minh saw his goal as the freeing of his county from foreign domination and so did most Vietnamese.
Does that mean I am angry because I served and became disabled? No! Like our country, I used my best judgment and even volunteered for Vietnam. My grandfather had been World War I and my father had been in World War II, so I correctly or maybe incorrectly assumed there would be a war for me to go to. It’s another example of how we make mistakes because we plan using the past to make our judgments. Let’s just celebrate our flag and our country today.
