We Were Soldiers, once, & young
Those Hup! Two! Three! Four! GI Blues
Perfecting Equilibrium Volume Three, Issue 22
They give us a room with a view of the beautiful Rhine
They give us a room with a view of the beautiful Rhine
But give me a muddy old creek in Texas any old time
I've got those hup, two, three, four, Occupation G.I. Blues
From my G.I. hair to the heels of my G.I. shoes
And if I don't go stateside soon, I'm gonna blow my fuse
The Sunday Reader, Nov 10, 2024
Some gave all; all gave some. All ya'll who are veterans know that score; I thank each and every one of you for your service. Our great country is built on generations of your service and sacrifice.
I want to take a minute this Veteran's Day to thank a great American who probably barely remembers me. But that's OK. When people take the time to mentor and lead young people, as I was at the time, the effects can last a lifetime.
I served under US Army Capt. George Wright at the 24th Infantry Division (Mech) Public Affairs Office at Ft. Stewart, GA in the 80s. I was a bewildered fresh out of basic training Specialist, and Capt. Wright taught me everything I've used my whole career about leadership. He had a simple rule: when you had a medal for a soldier, stand your entire unit in formation, march that soldier out front and pin it on them in front of everyone. And when you had to reprimand a soldier, you took them in your office, closed the door, and kept your voice down so no one else heard. "Never humiliate a soldier," he would say.
He had a way of working with soldiers that I have imitated ever since. "Specialist, don't you want to grab a few folks and head over to the motor pool to make sure our equipment is ready for NTC?" First, that was NOT a question. Second, by golly I did. And it always felt like we were part of a team.
It took me a long time to understand the third, most important lesson. He made things seem like our idea, even though they weren't; but we took ownership of those things like they were our ideas. And the next time the situation arose we knew what to do, and we did it. He taught us, set high standards, and trusted us to meet them. And we tried to. Eagerly.
Happy Veteran's Day, Capt. Wright. Thank you for your service. And thank you for teaching a raw kid lessons I'm still using decades later.
For many reasons the four years, four months, 28 days, 11 hours, 27 minutes and 35 seconds I spent in uniform was a formative foundation for my subsequent life, and I easily transitioned from Army sergeant to civilian. For one, I am by nature a photojournalist, an observer always one step removed from the action. For another, I never really fit in, as the Pentagon made quite clear when they banned me from an entire hemisphere.
Not every veteran is as fortunate. Correspondent Lynn Gardner reports that he was browsing through a flea market when he came across a veteran selling some household goods, including a really nice Me Wall (Navy term) award. I asked how much he wanted and he said $30. I gave him the $30 and told him to take the plaque back home and put it on the wall, he earned it. I really hate to see our veterans selling their awards at flea markets. The Veterans Administration needs to up its game.
Truth. It’s hard to decide which is more infuriating: how long the VA has been notoriously bad, or the parade of politicians from both parties who Love Our Troops! but have utterly failed to fix the VA. I asked Lynn if there was any way we could do more for this veteran; unfortunately, it doesn’t seem so.
I have no way of knowing where he was from. There were numerous vendors and people selling things at the flea market from many different places. MSGT Ken Peartree had the plaque and just a lot of odds and ends and household goods spread out on the ground and a couple of folding tables. He was not a regular vendor at a flea market, as you can always tell as the people making a living buying at estate sales and selling at flea markets. They usually have tubs and tables, and just have a lot of mismatched catagories. I am sure the veteran will get by as he was selling things he did not think he needed and was not out on the street.Â
You’re a good person, Lynn, and you did a good thing.
Thank you.