Heroes (NJM11)
Thanks for all the well-wishes, everybody – I really appreciate it. I hadn’t really said what happened to my shoulder before, but what I have is a case of adhesive capsulitis or "frozen shoulder". I had a case of it in my right shoulder last year, brought on by painting a very large ceiling and having my arms above my head for extended periods. It was fixed almost 100% by physical therapy – now I have the same thing in my left shoulder, without really knowing what brought it on – although it was made much worse by a fall down the stairs that jammed my shoulder after it was already hurt. In any case, I’m in the middle of eight weeks of therapy – three times a week, an hour and a half each time – which is very time-consuming, and a pain in more ways than one.
Although, after seeing the lady on Oprah this afternoon who lost her face in a chimp attack – I don’t feel like I have any right complaining.
Enough about me, what I really wanted to say a word about today is Veteran’s Day (even though in my time zone, it’s over). I think it is so, so important for us to remember all of our veterans today and every day. Even more important, we have to remember that there is a whole new generation of veterans among us, who deserve our respect and support just as much as the generations of the Second World War, Korea, and Vietnam. The men and women that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have sacrificed all the things that are important, so that they can serve their country and us, its citizens.
In many cases, these soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice – men like SFC Jared Monti, who lost his own life trying repeatedly to save the life of a comrade under fire. The bravery and resolve required to commit such an act is almost unimaginable. But we also need to remember all of the veterans that are still with us, trying to lead full and productive lives either inside or outside the service. I think our country doesn’t do enough for them, and it’s a shame – service families are often living on too little income, with too little support from our government. They deserve so much more in return for what they have given.
When I think of a "veteran", I often think of Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, who grew up near where I live now, and has several memorials dedicated to him in our area. I drive over a bridge named in his honor probably at least once a week, and one of our local towns still holds a parade in his honor every year. Part of his Medal of Honor citation reads "For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action…" – he was truly an incredible example of a person who put the needs of his comrades and his country above his own.
But we also need to remember all of the veterans who are not conspicuous – the men and women who are living among us now, who are serving now or have served in the recent past. They have all made sacrifices of parts of their lives, time with their loved ones, home, comfort, even their health and bodies – and no matter what you think of the politics involved, we all owe them a huge debt of thanks for what they have done for us.
The DiaryMaster
Absolutely well written.
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Having been born on a base overseas to two Sergeants (both got out shortly after my birth) who are my parents, I’ve always had a respect for not just the servicemen and women, but who they become after discharge. There’s a lot that reflects itself in many of these.
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I agree with the previous noter. I also want to thank to you for remember all current veterans. I am so blessed to have served during peacetime.
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Well said
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I have had adhesive capsulitis and bursitis in my right shoulder. I can certainly relate to that. Hope it gets better soon. The rest of your entry is food for thought. Thanks.
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hmm…my mom’s bf had a frozen shoulder ….he got it treated with acupuncture (hope that’s spelt right…heh) …I think, he only had one session a week for a couple of months….it seems to be quite painful…
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It would be lovely if this Topic on Veteran / Veterans are written as NEWS on OD. To write about some veterans and their history as hero / heroes would have been a very interesting subject. That’s because here on OD – we are all International people from all around the world. It would be really nice to learn more about other people & cultures; even histories. 🙂 Wishing you a good health!
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Well said
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Thank you and you are right, I think if you ask any vet, the one thing they’d all agree on is the quality of the healthcare that the VA provides is seriously lacking. But thank you.
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Beautifully written. Here in Australia the 11th of November is Remembrance Day, which is the same as your Veteran’s Day. Your sentiments are equally relevant here.
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i had a frozen shoulder… p/t fixed it right up. then, the other shoulder froze… couldn’t afford the p/t so i did the exercises by myself at home and it took a year to get better. so, go to the p/t and get better in 8 weeks. flew my flag yesterday. take care,
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My mom had frozen shoulder and had to do the PT. It did take awhile (8 weeks sounds about right) but she’s fine now, it went away for good. Hope you feel better!
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without our veterans we wouldn’t have the right to whine and complain about how things work here… they have given a lot for us… well said. dang guy do we need to wrap you in bubble wrap? lol hope you get better soon 🙂
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Excellent entry.
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Have you read Marion B’s poem of yesterday. You might note it….I did.
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I saw that chimp lady too and if I’m ever having a bad day, just going to think to myself.. “did you get your face ripped off by a chimp today? No? Then stop complaining.” lol
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Thank you for this, on behalf of my Veteran Daddy and my Veteran Husband!
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In my opinion, we should honor our brave men and women in the Armed Services, and their loved ones, each and every day… Freedom is not and will never be free. Our military men and women pay a great price for all of us, as do their families and friends. We all owe them a HUGE debt that can never be paid… The very least we can do though is prayer for their safety and praise their courage. Beautiful entry. Thank you for sharing it with all of us.
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the oprah thing was so sad.
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love this entry! i hope your shoulder is ok, ive never heard of that though having painted a ceiling before i can belive it!
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How do I report someone to the diary master?
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My grandfather is a vetran, and I have two cousins in the Marines. I can’t imagine all the things my grandfather did for our family – after the war and marrying my grandmother, he took a job in the Arctic Circle building some kind of spy detecting thing, so he would be able to afford a house. He was up there for six months, and rescued people from a plane crash before the plane blew up. He got aMedal of Valor for that.
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I agree 100% You couldn’t have said it better. My sis has that frozen shoulder and they want to take everything out and replace it and they told her it was very painful. She said I will just live with it as she just had a knee replaced the same way and its not doing all that good either.I sure hope physcial therpy can heal yours once again.Hers is the rotor cuff gone bad. Good luck andGod bless you.
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That was a REALLY nice Veteran’s Day wish . 🙂
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I am concerned about those who have served who suffer from PTSD too, not enough is being done for them. I heard a WW11 Vet say that they better do right by them, after his war they all became alcoholics to try to come home and live a somewhat normal life. The Vietnam Vets were treated terribly when they came home ;many were never the same again, others drugged or drowned the night terrors, panicattacks, and deep depression they suffered. Chemicals were used in that war; that have been discovered (by studying the human genome) to alter DNA forever and so those passed on to their children and all generations to come will suffer the consequences of that . Now our (and your, I’m Canadian) troops are suffering from all sorts of strange health and psychological disturbances and who knows what has been used on them. All the money that goes into war making leaves none for research to find what is ailing these brave men and women who have risked it all to keep us safe from terrorists. We owe them oursafety and anything that will help them and their families lead a good life on return . Just think..it could have been you or your family and still may be.
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amen
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Thank you for this. And I hope your shoulder is “unfrozen” soon. —
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frozen shoulder, I have one too but I’m a quality of life – results NOW kind of person so got a cortisone shot which freed it up in about 3-4 days. LOL good luck with the PT though.
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I read this entry to my husband who was in the military for 10 years, served in the first Gulf War and was on the front at that time. I was a military wife for 9 years and saw how brave these men are, how much it means that people give them the thanks they deserve. We occasionally purchase a meal for a table of soldiers when we are out eating, just a small appreciation for the things they do. And I’m dang proud of our men.
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