(noon. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
He had me at "my fellow citizens."
But of the many remarkable things Barack Obama said as he assumed this office of president, this simple phrase spoke volumes to me, and no doubt to many of my fellow Vietnam veterans, numbering some 2.5-million with another 6+ million who served during the Vietnam era:
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
I'll leave the analysis to others. I know what hearing that from the lips of our new President meant to me.
Vietnam, like Iraq, was a terrible mistake. But, as Vietnam Veterans Against the War have said for 40 years, it is possible — and fitting — to honor the warrior, not the war.
By mentioning Khe Sahn in the same breath as Lexington, Gettysburg, and Normandy, Obama has done that.
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Let’s hope Obama brings change to how our current crop of veterans are treated.
Wikipedia has a great article on it and it’s been updated to include Obama’s reference to it yesterday.
Which is a reminder – it’s that Tet time of year. Year of the Ox begins this week.
“The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.
Ox people need peace and quiet to work through their ideas, and when they have set their mind on something it is hard for them to be convinced otherwise. An Ox person has a very logical mind and is extremely systematic in whatever they do, even without imagination. These people speak little but are extremely intelligent. When necessary, they are articulate and eloquent.” – from Wiki