I have been doing a lot of thinking in these times since the last few elections. The frightening pace at which this country of ours has turned on itself and is trying so hard to start/enhance a class warfare state has left me shocked and dismayed.
While driving to an appointment I heard a lost oldie, (today’s standard) and remembered the first time that this song meant something different to me and most likely not what the artist had intended.
Back in the 70’s a training film had been made by and for the US military on Code of Conduct Training. In it were interviews with former POW’s, family and friends.
These men had some of the most disturbing thoughts while in captivity. To make these troubled times even more atrocious is that they had to deal with the vile conduct of the media, Jane Fonda and all of hers friends.
Even after training videos, reading diaries & debriefs and meeting some of these men I still can not fathom the hell that they went through. What got almost all of them to come home as sane as they possible could was the family, friends, food, baseball, picnics and just being an American. Towards the very end of the film a series of photos of the men meeting their families at the airport during Operation Homecoming were shown.
View attachment 62013 View attachment 62014
Operation Homecoming: Finding Aids: Reference Information Paper 90 Table of Contents
I write this not only thinking about the POW’s but of all the past and current Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines that have to take that flight home and think what are they coming home to.
Does my wife, (today it would be spouse) still love me? Are the children going to know who I am? How will I be perceived at church? What does normal food taste like? Can I hold a normal conversation, a normal job and even a near normal relationship?
Unfortunately some even have come to question what has my country become and does it still love me? Will it be the same, better or different? Will life be any resemblance of what I once knew?
Think of these questions and this song will never mean the same thing to you either.
(I wish I was proficient at power-point or video editing and I would recreate it and make it current.)
This is the song that was played over the photographs of service men coming home in various states of physical and mental health. What must have been on their minds waiting to see who would meet them at the air field, the hospital and later back home. We know that different service men have seen very different homecomings in the past 100years since WWI.
Now when I hear this song I have come to ask:
What has our country become? When will I see you again?
-The Three Degrees- -When will see you again- - YouTube
I couldn't have written this as well as some but the more I think of what to write it ruins the post.
While driving to an appointment I heard a lost oldie, (today’s standard) and remembered the first time that this song meant something different to me and most likely not what the artist had intended.
Back in the 70’s a training film had been made by and for the US military on Code of Conduct Training. In it were interviews with former POW’s, family and friends.
These men had some of the most disturbing thoughts while in captivity. To make these troubled times even more atrocious is that they had to deal with the vile conduct of the media, Jane Fonda and all of hers friends.
Even after training videos, reading diaries & debriefs and meeting some of these men I still can not fathom the hell that they went through. What got almost all of them to come home as sane as they possible could was the family, friends, food, baseball, picnics and just being an American. Towards the very end of the film a series of photos of the men meeting their families at the airport during Operation Homecoming were shown.
View attachment 62013 View attachment 62014
Operation Homecoming: Finding Aids: Reference Information Paper 90 Table of Contents
I write this not only thinking about the POW’s but of all the past and current Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines that have to take that flight home and think what are they coming home to.
Does my wife, (today it would be spouse) still love me? Are the children going to know who I am? How will I be perceived at church? What does normal food taste like? Can I hold a normal conversation, a normal job and even a near normal relationship?
Unfortunately some even have come to question what has my country become and does it still love me? Will it be the same, better or different? Will life be any resemblance of what I once knew?
Think of these questions and this song will never mean the same thing to you either.
(I wish I was proficient at power-point or video editing and I would recreate it and make it current.)
This is the song that was played over the photographs of service men coming home in various states of physical and mental health. What must have been on their minds waiting to see who would meet them at the air field, the hospital and later back home. We know that different service men have seen very different homecomings in the past 100years since WWI.
Now when I hear this song I have come to ask:
What has our country become? When will I see you again?
-The Three Degrees- -When will see you again- - YouTube
I couldn't have written this as well as some but the more I think of what to write it ruins the post.
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