Me and crippled soldiers

by edmond dantes 2 Replies latest social humour

• 

  edmond dantes

  First let me tell you in case you don't know I am British.

  For years I have listened to Merle Haggard songs , American country songs and singers I like, but Merle in particular. Just before christmas I discovered one that I had not heard before and it goes by the title Me and Crippled Soldiers. You guys fom the States will probably have heard it many times before. I heard it first on U Tube.

  For the past couple of weeks premiered on UK television they have shown the American series about WW2 it contains actual film footage ,news clips and experiences spoken by people who had lived through those dark days in the 1940s. it was very moving to watch especially listening to those who had first hand experience. Tom Hanks also did some of the voice overs. Coincidentally I had just finished reading a book called Paton's last Battle which relates the horrors of the war in Europe .

  I just want to say from a Brit. If you ever meet any American veterans especially from that time or know anyone ,maybe you have relatives. Please will you shake them by the hand and then shake their hand again and say, that last hand shake was from a Brit; and thank you.

  Here are the words written by Merle Haggard ;

  Now that it's all right

  to burn the Stars and Stripes

  Guess nobody really needs Old Uncle Sam,

  Might as well burn the Bill of Rights, as well

  and let our country go straight to hell.

  Only me and crippled soldiers give a damn.

  Should they throw away their Purple Hearts

  and hide their uniforms

  and be proud to hear Old Glory's on the ground

  Somebody said they'd take us with one shot

  I don't know if they will or not

  But only me and crippled soldiers give a damn.

  Has the Holocaust been so long

  is Hitler really gone

  as we burn our only cause for Vietnam

  There's the Mom who lost a son

  is this the freedom that we won ?

  For only me and crippled soldiers give a damn.

  I've been known to wave the flag before

  and saddened when we went to war

  fighting for the symbol of our land

  for all the wars we fought and won

  to keep Old Glory waving.

  Today they ruled to burn Old Glory down

  and only me and crippled soldiers give a damn.
• 

  BurnTheShips

  I'll try to remember to do that when I get a chance next. At one point in WWII, GB was all alone against the Nazis. But you hung in there with that legendary British tenacity. Americans fought and paid a high price in helping to defend the British in two world wars. You guys were worth it. In reality, if we had abandoned you, we would have probably ended up suffering the same fate eventually. If free people don't help each other against tyranny, they will all suffer the same consequences. By the way, we also appreciate all of your help since then as well. Both of our countries stood together against the Soviets, and we eventually beat them. More recently, Iraq and Afghanistan have been extremely unpopular, but you people have stayed by our side.

  BTS
• 

  MsDucky

  My husband is a disabled veteran. He fought in Vietnam. Whenever he goes to the Veterans' Hospital, he says that he meets more Iraq/Afganistan disabled veterans. He says that they are happy to see him (He has a visable disability.). They come over to him and strike up a conversation and shake his hand. I thought that was interesting.

  Real sore point with veterans today is that they call today's disabled veterans "Wounded Warriors" and they get benefits that veterans from other wars don't get. . . I digress. . .anyway, my husband is not a WWII veteran; but I'll still shake his hand!

  http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/