WHEN THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE IS JUST NOT ENOUGH!!!

How often have we told or heard someone say to a veteran, “thank you for your service”?  I know it is better to hear that than, “how many babies did you kill today”?  I’ve heard them both and certainly appreciate the first one more than the second.

The fact still remains there is a degree of hollowness with the first.  I know the intentions are good; but, do you know what our service to our country was and is like? 

Does anyone, other than a veteran, know or understand the pain and suffering while in the service and afterwards?

Let’s take Korea for an example in the life of an infantryman.  While you were on patrol in the winter north of the Im Jin River inside the DMZ, the temperature could drop with the wind chill to 40 below or more.  It would be so cold the water in your canteen would freeze, the radio batteries would freeze causing your radio to die and the battery to your sniper scope would freeze rendering it inoperable.  You might be wearing 7-9 layers of clothes to try and stay warm; but, that didn’t work.  You would feel the cold starting to come through the layers of clothing; then your skin would start to feel cold, then prickly, then numb which meant you were starting to freeze, slowly; freeze.

If you were lucky around 0430 AM. You would be able to move either to your pick up point or to place where you could catch some sun when it came up to help warm yourself; knowing that somewhere out in the cold darkness was a North Korean Special Forces Team waiting for you to make a mistake, locate you and kill you if they could.

There are horror stories too painful and graphic to describe in a blog or letter to the editors I am going to save those for my book; but the next time you say “thank you for your service”.  Try to say “thank you for the pain and suffering you went through for our country and for me”.  I think a veteran would be more grateful that you understand even if just a little.

So while we sit at home, safe and warm for the holidays, two of the loneliness’  holidays of the year for our service men away from home, think of our troops who are defending us around the world and try to understand the pain and suffering they are going through to do it.

Ask yourself if “thank you for your service”, is enough?

PLEASE I AM TRYING TO WRITE A BOOK!!!

 

As I am spending more and more time collecting my thoughts for 40 years ago, I keep getting distracted by the lunatic fringe stabbing the Town Manager and BOS members in the back over issues that the fringe creates.

The latest issue is Frank Ferraro becoming emotional when, at the last selectmen’s meeting, argued against going into a non-public session to discuss an issue that if all the information was made public could hurt the reputation of the people the town is negotiating with for overdue water and sewer bills. In the past the BOS dealt with this issue in non public session and Ferraro well knew it because at the time it was dealt with in a non public session he threw a public hissy fit as well as members of the fringe.

The issue is quite simple; Ferraro is the BOS representative to the Water and Sewer Commission.  When this issue came up before the Water and Sewer Commission it was ferraro’s job to explain the position of the BOS to the Commission that this was a non public issue at least for the time being while negotiations were on going.  Very simply Ferraro failed to do this, and by failing to do so, deliberately undermined and stabbed the other members of the BOS in the back.

Members of the water and sewer commission claim they were not aware of the non public position the BOS had taken.  It was Ferarro’s job to tell them and not feign ignorance.  It appears that Ferraro and his small band of merry men were trying to create an issue to attack the Town Manager and BOS on.

How many times can someone get stabbed in the back before they slap the person doing it upside the head?  Well Frank I think you need to cut out your negative back stabbing behavior because members of the BOS and voters in Exeter are getting sick it; I believe they are sick and tired of dragging your reprehensible behavior behind them like a sea anchor while trying to deal with the many issues facing the town and moving the town agenda forward.

In my opinion Ferraro, you are not a selectman you are simply a distraction to the progress of the town.

I think we owe a debt of gratitude to Matt Quandt and Dan Chartrand for having the courage to finally point out your negative and destructive behavior to the voters of Exeter.

Frank put your name on your blog and stop hiding behind “anonymous”.