by It’s no surprise I’m a pacifist (mostly, there are exceptions, sometimes one must fight) so I never know quite what to say to people in the military. It’s like any other group, some of you are great at what you do, most of you are decent people doing the best you can, and some of you should find another job. Wherever we have military we’re doing some things right, and we’re doing some things we shouldn’t.
Right now I’m thinking about the ones who lost their lives, and the ones who are struggling either while still on duty or back home. Thank you for your service. Thank you all for your service. You have really hard jobs (understatement of the year).
Buddy is hanging in there, seems to be mostly okay today. He’s eating, doesn’t seem uncomfortable.
Hey, So glad Buddy is improving. He’s a real trooper!
I agree entirely with your post about Memorial Day. I always think of the soldiers; my late husband was in the Vietnam War, although he never went into actual combat.
On another note, I’d missed your posts about Buddy due to ANOTHER stomach virus. My grand-nieces visit often (10/14) and kids are just magnets for viruses. Got my second one this year from them. Always serve me worse than the youngsters! I’m feeling better though, on the mend I hope!
Hi Stacy,
just wanted to remind you that the word “Soldiers” does not quite cover it.
It’s Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, the Coast Guard, and sometimes, to some extent, Merchant Marines.
It’s amazing that we live in a time when so little is known by so many about the US military.
The word is meant to encompass all military personnel. Is this something that is not accept by people in the military?
You could say that last line about … almost any subject.
I appreciate you asking.
Yes, you are correct. People in the military would frequently disagree with calling everyone soldier. As you might imagine, people have quite a lot of loyalty to their own branch of the service.
The areas of responsibility are so different that sometimes there is little comparison. (You can imagine the difference, say, between someone serving on a warship in the Navy and someone doing long-range patrols as an Army Ranger.)
You could say that everyone who makes money by any service or product are all doing business, but I doubt most writers consider themselves to be businesswomen or businessmen.
It is a conundrum, thought, because there is no overarching word to encompass the entire activity of the US military. When I’m doing, I just use the word ‘military’. That pretty much covers everyone without insulting anyone.
Thanks for the heads up.
Cara! I’m glad you’re better but no more stomach viruses for you. Set up a decontamination area for the kids!