Most Saturday’s, I travel as a volunteer to an Army base nearby to talk with/listen to service members who have substance abuse challenges. Please don’t credit this action. I do it to save my own life. In that way, I guess I am “using” them to support myself with flimsy hope that I am helping them. I am retired now, with lots of time on my hands so it is truly no sacrifice. I am a veteran. I am breathing. I received education benefits via the GI Bill. I'm retired, by God. I am breathing. I need to be grateful but am not always. I need reminders. Many, many brother and sister veterans do much more for this country and the causes of veterans and service members and their families than I do. Many, many civilians do the same.
For some reason, I feel a need to address the recent deaths of 16 service members in a plane crash in Mississippi and the current “administration’s” official responses, or lack thereof. I suppose it’s not a huge deal given the cacophony of horrors emanating from the Offal Office, but I braved a search of the White House’s official Web site and only found a single official acknowledgement from July 11th in the Administration's Press Release:
MS. SANDERS: Good afternoon. Before I get into the issues of today and take your questions, I first want to take a minute to acknowledge the 16 servicemen and women who lost their lives yesterday in a crash of a Marine Corps transport plane in Mississippi. As of now, the investigation into the details of the crash is still ongoing, but as the President said this morning, this is a truly heartbreaking incident. The thoughts and prayers of the entire administration are with the friends and families of the Marines who died in this tragic accident.
One might forgive the reference to “servicemen and women” as representing an announcement’s appearance before all the details were available, but I wouldn’t. A true “Commander-in-Chief” or his staff would, IMO, exercise due diligence and confirm details before going public with what, it turns out here, is the standard prattle. I’ve found no follow-up at the White House page or via Google search, nor do I think one is forthcoming. What’s a bit more offensive to me is the usual blather about “thoughts and prayers of the entire administration,” most of whose members’ spirituality, I’m thinking, involves concocting means to enrich self or punish a nation not unanimously outraged, though I think it should be, over their individual and collective, ongoing outrages.
The Press Release, btw, goes on in the usual manner after this “acknowledgement,” citing “Obamacare’s” collapse, the need for and eventual success of the “repeal and replace” efforts, and blah, blah, blah. In other words, more lies and republic dismantling.
Thank you IGTNT for such a moving post honoring the sixteen men who lost their lives. How emotional a tribute it is, how touching the comments. I’ve seen other similar tributes via social media, not politicizing, as I hope I am not doing here. People use service members and veterans as props all the time, for various reasons, to display patriotism, to rally others to a cause or to support their beliefs or actions on behalf of military members or veterans or for other purposes, such as bearing arms, assisting wounded warriors or their families, or winning elections. Some efforts, I believe, are more noble than others.
I have used veterans for such purposes in public speaking events at my former job. I have used myself as a a prop, as a veteran. Sometimes the purposes might have been less noble than I think if I really examine how and why I’ve presented myself or my brothers and sisters who have served in a certain light for a certain end.
Anyway, like so much of what I am seeing or hearing regarding the shitshow that is trumpism and republicanism lately, I suppose this is just another blip. Maybe someone can share with me some genuine evidence that there’s something beyond a dearth of humanity revealed in this alleged recognition for fallen service members. I know, it’s just how they roll, right?
Oh, about trump’s (now official presidential) pronouncement via twitter about the plane crash and deaths of 16 service members:
Perhaps there will be photo-ops at burials for some of the fallen. Perhaps not. “Deepest Condolences” for a “heartbreaking” incident via twitter and a brief, insincere paragraph in a press briefing is probably the most one can expect from this maladministration. I should be more amazed at myself for expecting actions or sentiments originating from this horror show that might resemble true humanitarianism.
Just the horror du jour. Or maybe it’s just me.
