Monday Veteran's Day, November 11, 1963, The Frances Hubbard Diaries

November 11, 1963

Monday, Veterans Day, rainy in am, some sunshine in pm.  Kids home from school.  I finished Sue's white dress and made Carol's.

Comment: No veterans in my Dad's immediate family, Merel, Earl, and Dad all got farm deferments from WWII. All the boys except Wayne in the next generation were in the service as was my sister Marilyn but we all escaped combat. I and Laverne were in the Army, David was in the Army National Guard, Doug was in the Navy, and Marilyn was in the Marines. While all veterans will be aggrandized and the military glorified on this fitting remembrance day, it is well to keep in mind that there were and still are completely despicable members of the military hierarchy that are a major part of our military history as well. An excellent example is from WWI: November 11, 1918. 

"The Allied generals knew the fighting would end precisely at 11:00 A.M, yet in the final hours, they flung men against an already beaten Germany. The result? Eleven thousand casualties suffered–more than during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Why? Allied commanders wanted to punish the enemy to the very last moment and career officers saw a fast-fading chance for glory and promotion"....from the book,  "Eleventh Month, Eleven Day, Eleventh Hour"

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XU4TCM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

A more recent example is the Pat Tillman debacle where his death by friendly fire was covered up by nine officers, including four generals, to cover their asses and was also cynically used as a recruiting tool by the military hierarchy.  

Keeping in mind the complete bastards in our military history enhances the honor of all of those who did serve selflessly and courageously in our nation's service, many times in spite of their leadership....