‘On Behalf of a Grateful Nation, Please Accept This Flag…’
That’s an abridged version of the words uttered by the officer or NCO in charge of the burial detail to the surviving spouse or next of kin of an American warrior killed in action as they are handed the carefully folded flag that had covered the coffin. Many of us have witnessed the ceremony and sometimes heard those quiet words, our hearts heavy with shared grief, but grief not remotely equal to the loss being felt by the person accepting that national symbol of supreme sacrifice. It is a solemn ceremony, steeped in tradition, meant to demonstrate not just to the family of the fallen but to all observing citizens that we as a nation value our warriors.
Now, our Democrat Senate, with the aid of nine Republican senators has just passed legislation which denies the promise of the above referenced ceremony, that is, that we are in fact a grateful nation. Looking for ways to cut the national budget, an ungrateful congressional conference has targeted our military community for reductions in their retirements while maintaining billions of dollars of support for far less worthy federal programs such as one providing federal assistance to illegal aliens. Yes, that’s right, this Democrat senate is willing to put constraints on pension benefits for those Americans who have served honorably, all while maintaining welfare for those who have entered our country illegally. The Democrats choose to reward those who have no regard for the system of laws growing out of our constitution, the same document our military personnel all must swear an oath to uphold, even at the cost of their lives.
I suspect that even some liberals will acknowledge the inherent unfairness of this particular legislation. After all, even leftists need a viable military to defend their cockamamie concepts of governance. The largest leftist regimes like the Soviet Union and Red China, in point of fact, have always showered awards and honors on their military forces for the protections they provide. Few soldiers anywhere have more medals to wear than those who fought to preserve and expand communism. But not this country, the United States of America, that supposedly is the beacon of liberty. The hypocrisy, the irony, the tragedy of reducing the pensions of those who have served this country honorably to the benefit of those who are living in this country illegally, defies all logic and reality, which is exactly where the liberal left in this country has taken us since their Messiah took control five years ago. We are in Alice’s Wonderland and descending into a dystopian society where wrong is right and down is up is government policy.
Once again, those who have served in the nation’s conflicts, many of whom are inclined to vote conservative and Republican, are being sacrificed by the ungrateful, leftist Democrat party in order to incubate and cultivate a few million additional Democrat voters. The corruption of the Democrat party is complete. They look at those hordes crossing our borders and say:
“Please accept this flag and all the benefits life under it confers on behalf of a grateful Democrat party,” while at the same time saying, “Veterans, soldiers and those who’ve served, you will accept this pay cut because you are not important to us as a sympathetic voting bloc.”
Grateful nation? Certainly not when liberal Democrats control our government.
Crossposted at American Thinker
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Congress sucks
Just went to a funeral of my “buddy” who received full military honors. I couldn’t reference the “denied promise” in the article. Can you expound?
The house republicans are complicit in this travesty also. They had already voted this bill out of the house and left town.
Just go vote these traitors out in November along with all candidates with a “D” next to their name.
It is a national shame and disgrace the way the Democrats and their supporting Republicans have decided to treat our “national treasure”…our veterans and retirees. I am especially ashamed of John McCain, who after his experiences in SE Asia, chose to vote against out military. He has become a disgrace to the service he rendered. I have heard those words at gravesides, to many times. I have always thought not only of the person being laid to rest but the veterans and retirees the flag represents to me. I thought of my time of service in Vietnam and those fallen and those who came back to live at the dependence of the VA and federal governments the rest of their lives. I hope, pray and will vote to change this Congress and White House with all I have in me. God bless our veterans and retirees and God bless the United States of America.
Think this piece needs to be read twice. Not because it is profound, but because it is misleading. There is nothing in the ‘budget’ bill (I believe it is a continuing funding resolution, in fact) which threatens military funerals, which is ceertainly what the above implies. The PROMISE – that the nation would be grateful – is what is being talked about in the balance of the essay, NOT that military funerals are going by the fiscal wayside.
This country has traditionally had a mixed relationship with its veterans – shedding crocodile tears one day, breaking up veterans’s marches or screwing retirees the next. On balance, we probably get treated about the same as in most countries – most countries’ war heroes get minimal pensions after their careers, and I suspect that objectively ours probably get treated better than many. Like the VA or not, how many other countries have an equivalent-sized entity proportional to the size of their military? Do I thinkl we are being treated fairly, especially compared to illegals , gays, and other favorites du jour? Hell no – but let’s try to be objective, too.
I’ve just finished a four month rotation in my base’s Elite Honor Guard. I’ve said those words many times, and it’s the moment that most family members break down even more. It does not surprise me that they would do this. They want those individuals who would help them keep getting elected and abuse the government systems set in place.
@#5 David:
There is no implication that this reduction in benefits affects funerals. The only association is the use of the phrase: “On Behalf of a Grateful Nation,,,”
How grateful? When we the people, allow our politicians to conduct the business of our country in the fashion that they are doing.
I would think that this law would affect us all far beyond those retirees, directly affected. What message does it send to those who would enlist to serve this “Grateful Nation”?
If a country can screw over those who assure us our freedom, what can it do to the rest of the public?
We are so scrued
Vets make great photo ops and great budget targets….most Americans respect our troops and most politicians know that, thus the photo ops….also most politicians know most Americans are dumb as f@ck and don’t actually follow anything written after the words “budget debate” so f#cking those same veterans who represent a tiny portion of the electorate is an easy move….
There is truly nothing new there, the military has always been the first to get hurt and the first to get hosed afterwards….welcome to America, land of decreasing opportunity as run by the Democrats.
You left out that all but 62 members of the House also voted for this travesty. A travesty not only for the reduction in military retirement, but in increased spending and debt that furthers the destruction of our country.
The democrats have for years tried to buy your love with more benifits and pay it didn’t work. They have watched republicans treat you like worthless scum to be thrown into the dump as you are no use to them. The more the republicans abuse you the more you worship them maybe the democrats have just given up trying to buy your love.
Oh I forgot fox news and the republicans will continue to say thanks for your service because that doesn’t cost them any money like increased benefits and pay would!
Vwpissboy, you’re living proof that diarrhea of the mouth is a symptom of having SHIT FOR BRAINS!!
Vwp your such a worthless bastard…go troll CNN you POS
Left/libtard America-hating progressive Demo-rats love illegal alien potential multiple Democrat voters more than veterans.