Remembering Veterans

Today was Veterans Day. Julia Hanna told me about her two grandfathers, Grandfather Mike Hanna and Grandpa Fulkerson. They each served in World War II.

She also shared information about her great grandfather Moses Hanna who served in WWI, and who was awarded American citizenship after his service.

I spoke about Jean Laffite, who saved the United States in the Battle of New Orleans, whose ships were looted by the Navy, and who still chose to donate flints and gunpowder as well as artillery, but received no reward, not even citizenship. I also mentioned Aaron Burr who served in the Revolutionary War, but was not recognized as a veteran until very late in his life.

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http://mystories.sweetbeariesart.com/2019/11/11/honoring-my-veteran-relatives-on-veterans-day/

What is a Veteran

I have the utmost respect for all who served their country in military positions and especially for those who faced death for the cause of liberty. I honor combat veterans and America's fallen heroes. However, up until now, I assumed that on Veterans' Day we celebrate the lives and great deeds of all the patriots who fought for our country. Yet yesterday, my daughter asked me what a veteran is, and today I looked it up. I found an insidious link between the term "veteran" and the idea of somebody exclusively employed by the government at public expense to make war. And a "war veteran" is somebody employed by any branch of the government military to make war on other countries on foreign soil. That would leave George Washington and Jean Laffite entirely out of the running for "war veteran".

http://www.americanwarlibrary.com/whatvet.htm


Here is what they have to say:

A military veteran is any person who served for Any length of time in Any military service branch.

A war veteran is any GI (Government Issue) ordered to foreign soil or waters to participate in direct or support activity against an enemy.  

But is that true? If you defend your own country on American soil not wearing a uniform and not deployed by any branch of the service or ordered to do so by the government, are you not a veteran?

If that is true, then Veterans' Day is not a holiday celebrating America's patriots, but one glorifying the government's power to use public funds to deploy military overseas.

Jean Laffite: American War Veteran

Today is Veterans Day, and everywhere we see pictures of people in uniform. People who served in the armed forces. Some of them died for their country, some were wounded, and all were part of the military branch of the government.  But it is important to remember that some of the greatest veterans who ever lived never wore a uniform.

The true heroism of Jean Laffite's independent contribution to the American war effort can be read in Pam Keyes' article, Commemoration of a Hero: Jean Laffite and the Battle of New Orleans.

Of course, Andrew Jackson was also there and also made valuable contributions. But without Jean Laffite's help, the Battle of New Orleans would have been lost. Quite possibly the entire war would have been lost. We would have ended being British subjects who were thankful for the services of the redcoats on Veterans Day.

One of the founding principles of the United States was having no standing army. Let us not forget that this is what the original founders fought for in 1776 when they resisted the British attempt to tax them to pay for the defense of the colonies.

It would be a shame to save the Union only to lose the constitution