Teaching the truth to the next generation.

[daddyusmaximus]

While gathered together for Thanksgiving, my great nephew was watching me sort out all the new photos from our family vacation down here in Florida. As he sat by me at my laptop, he began to ask questions about all the photos, and folders of photos. "Army photos" caught his eye. He thought it was cool to see some shots of military vehicles, and other countries, so I took the chance to teach him about being thankful, seeing as it's that season.

I showed him a couple photos of an instance where I was passing out Girl Scout cookies to poor Iraqi kids back in 2005. I was a Cub Scout den leader prior to the deployment, and the Girl Scout leader had sent me several crates of cookies to pass out among the troops. I did pass out quite a few, but being the good, kind, generous Americans the media never gives us credit for, we also decided to pay it forward to the local kids. I started taking them on missions that were going into less dangerous areas. If we stopped, and some kids came out (they almost always did) I became the cookie Santa.

I'm sure they were thankful for the Americans that came over to help them.

No matter the political objectives, we (the troops) tried to do a lot more than just kill the bad guys, and take their oil... not that the media or the school system will ever admit to it.

It's Thanksgiving time. Be thankful.

 

[harleymac1]

Great story. No doubt one of those stories the media never told us.


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[daddyusmaximus]

Great story. No doubt one of those stories the media never told us.


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There are thousands such stories of Americans doing good things while in service overseas. I have seen many myself. They never get told...

The guy who accidentally shoots the civilian during confusion, and chaos... Headlines...

 

[indiucky]

Thank you for your service and for sharing this with us...God bless....

 

[Twangbanger]

I have come to wonder what young people really think. Some millennials in my office are so scared of the impending "climate calamity," they've talked themselves out of having kids because based on what they've heard, they think the world will be like "Mad Max" for them. Otherwise-educated individuals not even aware of basic facts regarding the world around them. Most of what they "know" comes from Facebook. Their heads are full of what basically amounts to propaganda, and they are resistant to reason.

Educating them is really hard. It's like baby steps. Can you get them to think for themselves, today, just a little bit more than yesterday?​

 

[churchmouse]

Thank you for your service sir. Good things being done. They are out there. They do not make for headlines and click bait.

God bless.

 

[rob63]

I have come to wonder what young people really think. Some millennials in my office are so scared of the impending "climate calamity," they've talked themselves out of having kids because based on what they've heard, they think the world will be like "Mad Max" for them. Otherwise-educated individuals not even aware of basic facts regarding the world around them. Most of what they "know" comes from Facebook. Their heads are full of what basically amounts to propaganda, and they are resistant to reason.

Educating them is really hard. It's like baby steps. Can you get them to think for themselves, today, just a little bit more than yesterday?​

This is a recurring theme throughout human history. I can remember when I was young, people declaring they wouldn't have kids because by the year 2000 the world wouldn't be able to grow enough food to feed the coming population explosion. There is an episode of the 70's sitcom "All in the Family" where the Meathead announces he doesn't want to have kids because of the horrible shape the world is in. The only thing that changes is what people are afraid of.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

This is a recurring theme throughout LIBERAL history. I can remember when I was young, LIBERALS declaring they wouldn't have kids because by the year 2000 the world wouldn't be able to grow enough food to feed the coming population explosion. There is an episode of the 70's sitcom "All in the Family" where the Meathead announces he doesn't want to have kids because of the horrible shape the world is in. The only thing that changes is what LIBERALS are afraid of.

Fixed it for you...

During the Cold War we thought there could be nuclear armageddon at any second, yet we (normal people) still soldiered on, had kids, prepared, we didn't freak out (too much)... Were we scared? Yeah. Did we let it stop us from living our lives, NO.

 

[T.Lex]

IMHO American does its best foreign policy when it leads by example. In those terms, you (daddyusmaximus) and the hundreds of thousands of other Americans that have served overseas are very much the pointy end... well... tasty end... of that spear. That still doesn't sound right, but I've known and been related to many people who've served and looked for opportunities to do the same kind of thing. "Hearts and minds" can be a punchline sometimes, but it is more about making those human connections.

And US service members do REALLY well at that, when given the opportunity.

Thank you for your service, and for leading by example.

 

[actaeon277]

This is a recurring theme throughout human history. I can remember when I was young, people declaring they wouldn't have kids because by the year 2000 the world wouldn't be able to grow enough food to feed the coming population explosion. There is an episode of the 70's sitcom "All in the Family" where the Meathead announces he doesn't want to have kids because of the horrible shape the world is in. The only thing that changes is what people are afraid of.

Yup.
People throughout history have thought that THEY were improved over all previous history.
And that ALL their problems were new and NO ONE ELSE had to deal with those problems.

I tell people to watch Schindler's List, or the first scene of Saving Private Ryan, then come back to me and tell me how bad we have it.

 

[HonkieKowboy]

Yup.
People throughout history have thought that THEY were improved over all previous history.
And that ALL their problems were new and NO ONE ELSE had to deal with those problems.

I tell people to watch Schindler's List, or the first scene of Saving Private Ryan, then come back to me and tell me how bad we have it.

Heck, or even looking at other countries. Most countries around the world were affected hard by either WWII or the Cold War (namely the economic mistake named Communism).

 

[GREEN607]

Great post, daddyus!

 

[ATOMonkey]

I take every opportunity to teach my kids about economics, civics (government), and history. There is so much incomplete information out there.

My son is currently learning about the Great Depression and Black Tuesday. Most of what he is learning at school is that people borrowed too much, and were too greedy with the stock market. It is rarely ever mentioned that Smoot-Hawley tariffs immediately preceded the crash. Also, the confiscation of gold and replacement with fiat currency (1933) only dug the hole deeper.

The organized crime associated with Prohibition was also at an all time high with the St. Valentine's Day massacre earlier the same year as Black Tuesday (1929).

Investor confidence was already crumbling, Hoover and the Federal Reserve (which was supposed to prevent a crash) did nothing to make the situation any better and actually did their best to make everything worse. Then FDR doubled down on the stupidity.

It's not an honest accounting of history to ignore the culture and mood of the nation at that time it all happened. To merely say that people were irresponsible with their spending during the 20s is intellectually negligent, IMO.

 

[Dead Duck]

But "Baby Killers" sells more newspapers. "Cookie Santa" not so much.

 

[SchwansManDan]

I tell people to watch Schindler's List, or the first scene of Saving Private Ryan, then come back to me and tell me how bad we have it.

Or, even if you were on this side of the ocean during WWII, like my mother, you were still dealing with the rationing of things we take for granted now ... coffee, sugar, gasoline, tires ...

 

[ATOMonkey]

A Day which will live in infamy... Got to talk briefly about the significance of today with my son. History is so much more than dates on a calendar.