Today I’d like to turn the tables and, as a
Veteran, say, “Thanks” to a grateful nation.
When I returned from Vietnam in early August of
1968, there wasn’t much gratitude in the air. At least it wasn't evident.
Ten days after I was released from active duty at
Camp Pendleton, I attended my first class at The Graduate Seminary of Phillips
University in Enid, Oklahoma. Two weeks later I was preaching my first sermon
in the small congregation in Waynoka, Oklahoma, where I served during the three years I worked on
my Master of Divinity. So, the first few days after leaving a combat zone were
more or less a whirlwind of activity.
It was a troubled time in our nation. Beatniks
were morphing into Hippies, there were anti-war demonstrations, and the issue
of amnesty was being debated in regard to some who had fled to Canada to avoid
the draft. The Democratic National Convention that year was in Chicago, and it
turned ugly, with demonstrations growing violent. Those events, along with
video from the “war” in Vietnam, were on TV newscasts every night.
[NOTE: In my opinion (you decide whether
the opinion is “humble” or and arrogant), although the trend toward media
partisanism was beginning to emerge in the late 1960’s, for the most part the
networks still struggled to maintain journalistic integrity. Media integrity
seems rare today, with virtually no effort to conceal its partisanism; indeed, commentary
and analysis have supplanted “reporting,” and at the polar extremes, pundits
from Fox News and MSNBC seem almost to revel in their rabble rousing.]
Campus life at Phillips included student
demonstrations (always peaceful and respectful) related to those same issues;
so, I was aware of anti-war sentiments, but I did not experience animosity
being directed at me, personally, or the troops in general. At that point I was
virtually ignorant in regard to the political and moral questions surrounding
the war.
Within a couple of years, though, the Kent State
Massacre had jolted the nation and the Watergate scandal was stirring the pot.
With all of it pouring into our living rooms via network media, Americans were
becoming an angry, polarized people. Some of that anger and hostility was
directed at troops returning from Vietnam.
I was distracted with studies and pastoral duties
and building a family, so I was blissfully oblivious to the hostility that
increasingly was directed at those returning troops. We didn't get ticker tape
parades when we returned from Vietnam; but, for me personally, I was altogether
content to slip in quietly and resume my life and pursue my goals. I was
relatively insulated from the hostilities, and in the conservative backlash
that followed those tumultuous 60’s, American sentiment changed.
While few would call me “conservative,” I am
grateful for that change.
I am grateful when people discover that I served
in the military and extend a hand and a word: “Thanks for your service.” Today,
because I am a veteran, I got a discount at AQ Chicken House in Fayetteville,
Arkansas. And I try to express my own gratitude when I see a person in
uniform—whether it be military, police, fire fighter, EMT, or whatever.
Democracy thrives on vigorous debate, and I would
not want to quiet the disparate voices—as long as the debate is respectful and
seeks resolution rather than party dominance. But, as a veteran, I’m grateful
for the atmosphere of non-partisanism that unites our people in gratitude for
those who serve and protect. Thank you, America!
And that’s how I see it through the flawed glass
that is my world view.
Together in the
Walk,
Jim
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