Veterans Don't Want Your Pity...

... not even if you call it "compassion, sympathy," or "intellectual empathy."  We are not "victims," even if you prefer to use the term "survivors."  Why do I bring this up?  For years, the media has been portraying Veterans and Troops as victims of circumstances beyond their control.  Recently, even the Washington Post (please note that the gratitude demonstrated by Kid Rock should not be confused with pity of intellectuals) noted that Veterans and Troops feel the pity of Citizens, rather than Respect, for what we have done.  But more to the point, a particular reader has been attempting to justify her feelings of sympathy for our "misfortune" to me.  She has changed the labels, over time, as I've explained why we don't want pity, and how we are not victims, but the underlying attitude has not changed.

In recent decades, it has become unpopular to use words that define certain things.  Instead, alternate words are used to re-label the same concept, in a more politically correct manner, altering the meaning of the new word, while not changing the reality of that being defined.  Sometimes, these new labels are applied for political purposes, such as changing "War" to "Overseas Contingency Operation," which does nothing to alter the reality on the ground.  When an enemy is setting off explosives and shooting bullets at you, it doesn't matter what the politicians want to call it, it is combat, even if they label an Infantryman a "Non-Combat Troop," and the enemy, "man-made disaster makers."

What is a victim?  According to Merriam-Webster:

 

1: a living being sacrificed to a deity or in the performance of a religious rite

2: one that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent
: as a (1): one that is injured, destroyed, or sacrificed under any of various conditions <a victim of cancer> <a victim of the auto crash> <a murder victim>
(2): one that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment <a frequent victim of political attacks> b: one that is tricked or duped <a con man's victim>

A victim is someone that is subjected to negative forces outside their control, whether that is violence, accident, or trickery.  While those of prior wars, when conscription was the norm, may have reason to lay claim to the title of victim, Veterans of Desert Storm, Bosnia, Kosovo, Panama, Grenada, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Iraq, and Afghanistan, signed up, voluntarily, to Defend Our Nation.  Every member currently in the Military not only volunteered for the Military, but did so, knowing we were fighting two wars. 

We Volunteered to sacrifice luxuries, comforts, and time with friends and family, because Our Freedoms are that important.  We Volunteered to risk life and limb to Protect Our Fellow Citizens, including those friends and family.  We Volunteered, despite the naysayers and those that oppose the American Ideals, that we might not find worth our risks.  No one forced us to take those risks, to commit to those sacrifices.

In the basic definition of the word, a "survivor" is:

"One who survives or outlives another person, or any time, event, or thing."

In current usage, however, "survivor" is often used to denote the victims of violent crime who survived it.  Yes, these victims have survived the crime, just as Veterans have "survived" the battlefield, but by political correctness, "survivor" has become synonymous with "victim."  Our Warriors did not merely survive.  Our Warriors Volunteered, Trained for, and stepped on to that battlefield, knowing an atrocious enemy was lurking.  Our Warriors have gone there, so that Our Citizens can go to work, to the malls, and to the theaters, without fear of that enemy coming here and victimizing them.

Our Warriors did more than merely survive the battlefield.  They stepped onto the battlefield and dominated the enemy, so others would not have to hope to survive a terrorist attack, or in decades past, the oppression of Communism.

But what of that pity?

Pity is: to feel sorrow or compassion  for the suffering, misfortune, or weakness of.

It is not a misfortune, that Our Troops are fighting an atrocious enemy.  It would be a misfortune if our politicians decided that it would be better to sacrifice a few lives of Our Citizens, rather than allow Our Warriors to protect Our Citizens from terrorists we know wish to do them harm.  Sadly, that is the current direction of our politicians.

Pity elevates the giver of it to a status higher than the poor, unfortunate soul that could not prevent his own suffering.  Pity is given by those that believe themselves superior to the poor sap.  But Veterans are not misfortunate.

But what of that more politically correct term: compassion?

sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

Perhaps, if there were distress (or "misfortune") this would be an appropriate term to use, but as it's usage in the conversation was to replace the term pity, it still implies a victim-hood.

So, if we are not "victims" or "mere survivors" that should be "pitied" by the "compassionate" intellectuals, who feel superior to us, then what is it that we Veterans expect?  Respect & Gratitude for volunteering to do what we have done. 

Does that mean that Our Citizens should bow down before Our Veterans as they walk through the streets?  NO!  Our Veterans can get uncomfortable with the mere vocalization of "Thank you for your service."  We appreciate it, but we have no response.  At least I don't.  We did what we did because we believed enough in America, in the US Constitution, in the Bill of Rights, to protect Our Citizens.

Yes, we changed.  We learned responsibility.  We learned that "can't" is an excuse for mediocrity.  If you want your company to excel, make it a policy to hire Veterans, first.  Don't do it because you feel sorry for us, but because you want the very best employees, the ones that will take your company farther and higher than it would be otherwise.

We have EARNED everything we get.  We ask that you vote for politicians that will fulfill the obligations our government has promised us, not charge us for the injuries we endured.  We ask that you vote for politicians that will protect the US Constitution, as we did, with our blood, bodies, and birthdays.  We ask that you demand that of YOUR party.  Tell your party you won't put up with their games anymore, that you won't support their payoffs to supporters on the backs of Our Troops and Our Veterans.  And if your party won't support Our Troops and Our Veterans, then find a politician that will.

We ask that you protect Our Brothers who still serve, from the politicians you elect.  In this time of increased threats, from North Korea, to Al Qaeda, to so many points in between, Our Brothers need more, not less Troops in Uniform.  In this time of increased technological prowess of our enemies, we need the tools to get the job done, not decreased budgets to pay for overpriced solar panels made in China.