{"id":10857,"date":"2014-04-21T10:11:27","date_gmt":"2014-04-21T10:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:#clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/?p=10857"},"modified":"2022-11-12T13:30:56","modified_gmt":"2022-11-12T18:30:56","slug":"do_you_understand_what_youre_thanking_me_for_857","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/articles\/do_you_understand_what_youre_thanking_me_for_857\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Understand What You\u2019re Thanking Me For?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently I heard one of my soldiers was getting hitched. During our 2008 deployment to Afghanistan we were a close team. We called artillery support during patrols with our infantry brethren. I was shocked that our team sergeant would be in Afghanistan during the wedding.<\/p>\n

We still send people to a war. My old right-hand man will be in his third year of it. We spent a trillion on military training, hardware and education. The people we send still range from 18-year-olds to grandparents. They come home and we call them heroes.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t feel like a hero when fellow veterans show up dead on Facebook and I could have helped prevent it. My VA therapist calls out my avoidance. 93-year-old New Yorker<\/i> columnist Roger Angell\u2019s stories of back pain hit home. I\u2019m 29 years old and was never wounded in combat. Many have it far worse. I\u2019m not a hero.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
Untitled self portrait, 2013.<\/div>\n
Andrew H. Miller.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I was burnt out and angry as I began my R&R, nine months into my first deployment. I shoved my way across an airport towards the final leg home. A swarm of well-wishers clapped for us with flags and banners. Passersby gawked. There was no opting out; they literally blockaded us.<\/p>\n

A woman swelling with appreciative fervor trapped me in a hug. I discovered a teddy bear in my hands. I left it in the trash as I escaped the crowd. I tried to appreciate the love, but it felt hollow. The return from war should be a solemn experience. I saw myself as Odysseus discovering suitors ransacking his home, not a World War II GI in Times Square.<\/p>\n

Every war leaves a legacy. I feel the ripples of Vietnam. Those veterans got hit hard: kicked out of America by the draft, then sent to a war of murky morality The survivors came home to protestors and pill-pushing doctors. The WWII communities were exclusive. My generation volunteered then came home to Wounded Warrior Project backpacks, congressional grandstanding and yellow ribbon bumper stickers.<\/p>\n

But change the channel and my generation disappears. Flag-draped coffins don\u2019t Snapchat or trend on Twitter, and after thirteen years of war they don\u2019t drive news-site traffic any more. We briefly recall the ongoing war when a veteran shakes our hand, but the national dialogue moved on to relevant topics. Let me say it another way: my war\u2019s generation is not relevant to most Americans.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to hear educated opinions instead of boilerplate sentiments. Going to war isn\u2019t a prerequisite to having an opinion on it. Tell me what you know and don\u2019t know about war.  I didn\u2019t serve for your freedom of speech, but I will be grateful when you exercise it with sincerity and acuity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
__description__<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently I heard one of my soldiers was getting hitched. During our 2008 deployment to Afghanistan we were a close team. We called artillery support during patrols with our infantry brethren. I was shocked that our team sergeant would be in Afghanistan during the wedding. We still send people to…<\/p>\n

Learn More<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-10857","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/10857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}