Episode-783- The Veteran’s Day Special for 2011
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (24.6MB)

Thank a Vet Today
I have also removed any time based references so that this version can be timeless. There is no commercial content today as the entire show is dedicated to those that serve our nation.
You will notice more music in today’s show, hopefully no lawyers for Trace Atkins, Tim McGraw or Toby Keith will come after me for today’s show though I doubt it will be an issue. Additionally you will hear the song I co wrote with Gregg Yows, “What Have You Done“. You can get that entire so for free at Greg’s Website at www.revolutionrockandroll.com/music.cfm
So tune in today for the story of Veteran’s Day, stories about our troops and the real reasons you should never miss a chance to say thank you to a veteran.
If you want to really see what are troops are all about, check out this video I put together two years ago.
Got this one out early. Happy Veterans Day Jack!!
Happy Veterans’ Day to all of our vets. Enjoy the day!
Happy Veterans Day Jack! Thank you for your service, sir.
Veterans Day. To all our military folk who served and are serving, this former Marine salutes you. Semper Fi.
God Bless All Veterans, past, present and future.
Thank you all for what you’ve done to provide me the Nation that allows me to have all that I have.
Thanks Jack.
Thank you Vets! and God Bless
Thank you
As a Veteran myself I always have a problem with people thanking me. This podcast brought back the memories of those who did not make it. I think I’ll take the thanks for them and not for myself.
From the Daily Paul:
http://www.ronpaul2012.com/pages/mbpledge_veteransday.html?pid=1103
@Jon, I personally think this Captain needs to grow up and act like a Captain not a child. Calling a person thanking you for your service a “cop out” is insulting beyond words.
I would like to ask him, if I came up to him and said, “thank you for your service” is it a Fing “way to make them feel justified for not taking civic action against the government”, when I have also worn the uniform and work my ass off to teach individual liberty every day.
Arrogant shit heads like this man are the most damaging thing to the libertarian movement.
Sorry, delete it if you would like. I should have just posted this instead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP8q7fc7TR4&feature=player_embedded#!
@Jon, I don’t blame you as the messenger.
@Jon I am a Ron Paul supporter, but I’m confused as to how serving in the military equates to taking civic action against the government? In fact, it’s just the opposite. If you are in the military, you are working for the government, right? I think it takes a special person and a shit-load of guts knowing you may be deployed and have to put your life on the line for your country. That is why will continue to thank our vets. I’m sorry whoever wrote that on the Daily Paul is offended. He / She sounds bitter and I don’t think this reflects the sentiment for most vets. And I am also taking civic action against the things my government is doing. All Americans who are “awake” should be doing the same-civilians especially (IMOHO).
The video is a better representation and more tasteful. Please watch it and ignore the first quote that I wrote..
I can understand what you are saying about being young and not understanding the magnitude of service at the time. When my husband enlisted he wasn’t even shaving yet. He had never really been away from his parents home over night. He just knew he wanted to go so he could take care of his family and country. I still have the letters he sent me (31 years ago) from basic training and tech school. He was so scared he wouldn’t make it. He missed home so much but he said he was tough and knowing that we would be married when he got back is what gave him the strength to go on. He talked about all the new family he made and how happy he was that he had made this choice. In the last letter he sent me he told me to wait at the airport because he would work hard to pass the final test and he would be on that plane. When I saw him get off that plane was the happiest day of my life. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like if he had been coming back from a war.
There were several times that he was shipped out in the middle of his shift. He went where his plane went. He was not allowed to phone home. I would know that he was out on a mission when he didn’t show up for dinner. Very seldom did I ever know where or when he would be back.
People always thought wow you get to live on base and have free medical you must be doing good. No you don’t do this for the money there is none. You get to live on base after you get higher up in rank. We qualified for food stamps and WIC. I cleaned houses baby sat and did yard work to help make ends meet.
We got orders to Germany. So we sold most of our things and our car started learning to speak German all in preparation for the move. 24 hours before we were to leave the orders were canceled. We had only the stuff in our suite cases because the other things were shipped out already. Our house was already given to the next family. So we had to scramble to find new housing and wait to get what stuff we had back.
But you know all was well because you are part of a family and all our friends pitched in to let us barrow stuff until we could get our own back. You always had people you could count on.
If the alarm went off in the middle of the night Hubby was up and out the door. I was grabbing sleeping bags to get ready for the neighborhood kids to come over. So their parent/ parents could report for duty.
If you were at the commissary grocery shopping ( which I had to get my husbands written approval to go to) it was not uncommon to make a friend and end up having a BBQ that night with someone you just met.
After two terms it was time to decide to become a lifer or get out. He opted to get out. Going on terminal leave for the next 30 days. During that time Desert Storm started up big time. Hubby found out is plane was going to be deployed. It was very hard for him not to go back and re-up. If I hadn’t said please no he would have went in a heart beat. I am much more selfish than he.
Military life is hard and very different than civilian life. We were lucky that hubby is here with us in one piece. Some of our friends weren’t so lucky.
My brother who is in the Army has gone over seas so many times he volunteers for it. I asked him once why do you go back when you don’t have to. Do you have a death wish? His response was well I don’t have kids like some of the guys do. Maybe then one of them won’t have to go. Besides I like to take candy to the kids over there they have nothing. I am a sucker for those little smiles. Makes it all worth it.
It would piss me off so bad when the protesters at the gate would shout and spit at us when we would drive into the base. Me I wanted to smack them or shoot them. Hubby just looked at them and said you are welcome. Because I serve and protect because people have given their limbs or lost their lives you have the freedom to spit on my shoes and protest. I am grateful that you are using your freedom to harass and put down the men and women who gave you that freedom in the first place. Because of us is the reason you are not being arrested or shot right now. So you are welcome. Three of those people put down their signs and walked away. Hubby is a better person than me. I still wanted to at least smack them.
So in war time or peace time the military is a group of people who make sacrifices endure hardships and live a different life compared to the civilian world. They are considered government property and do not have the very freedoms they will fight and die for. For that the very least we can do is say THANK YOU. I do like to let those in uniform go before me in the check out lane too. It’s the least I can do.
this is a great post. thank you for writing this.
Happy Veterans Day to all the Vets and happy belated birthday to the Marines out there – Semper Fi.
A good Veterans Day wish to everyone.
Well said. Excellent podcast. Thanks.
Thanks for the great podcast. Shared it with my 11 year old son. I like how you expressed the pride, camaraderie, and humility that comes with service. “This We’ll Defend”
I served in the USN, and now am a truck driver, every time I see military on the highways I sound my big air horns and give them a thumbs up. Also veterans day or not I have never let a person in military uniform pay for their own meal in any restaurant I am eating in, unless its a table full, then I will pay for a round of drinks. These opportunities don’t come along often, but when you get the chance it feels wonderful. Sometimes I thank them, and sometimes I just do it anonymously.
[…] touched my heart. It is a show by Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast and he was talking about veterans day. I understand that this is a pet podcast but every once in a while we need to take a step back […]
Jack,
Thanks for your service and the survival podcast.
I started my Military career as a “food preparation specialist” aka spoon or cook audience depnding on who you spoke to, for a reserve unit of Drill Sergeants, Later I went into Artillery Radar then Infantry, later National Guard first as Tanker loader, then back to infantry and in about 2005 Retired. The skills you mentioned about not just being “Combat Arms” was wonderful. Bless You. You are so well delivering a SOLID Message. Keep it up.,
Jack,
Thanks for your service and the survival podcast.
I started my Military career as a “food preparation specialist” aka spoon or cook audience depnding on who you spoke to, for a reserve unit of Drill Sergeants, Later I went into Artillery Radar then Infantry, later National Guard first as Tanker loader, then back to infantry and in about 2005 Retired. The skills you mentioned about not just being “Combat Arms” was wonderful. Bless You. You are so well delivering a SOLID Message. Keep it up., BTW I served in Somalia and Kuwait in OEF2
Thanks for the kick in the ass to go thank a vet. I did it to a guy I just met, a Vietnam vet, my first day on a new job. You pretty much “called” the response Jack.
When I was 18, I didn’t serve in Carter’s armed forces, I stayed home and helped make the best fighters & later, bombers, I could for the sky warriors. But to all those that dd, my very deepest thanks & respect.
I too do not enjoy the “thank you for your service” stuff I get in Wal-Mart or at the mall. I started serving in 1998 on Freedom’s Frontier in south Korea. Nobody thanked me for that. I served for years in Germany… nobody thanked me for that. I deployed to Iraq and returned… and to most people I met, the first year of the war in Iraq amounted to little more than reality TV. It really wasn’t until the body count started growing and selected media got on board did the “thanks” start rolling out. Take from that what you will.
Jack, an honest question. In order for the military to go to war congress must declare war. We know war wasn’t declared for any war past WWII. So, if a soldier is to keep his oath and protect the constitution wouldn’t he have to refuse to go to war, i.e., refuse to be deployed? We claim that the individual must be responsible for his actions for all other things but for this aspect we claim that it is the political oligarchy that is responsible for our own actions? Why do we forgo our responsibility in this one aspect? If one forgoes his responsibility in protecting and adhering to the constitution how can we expect safety if the government tells the military to attack a “radical” group in the US that really isn’t radical?
I’ve thought about this quite a bit and haven’t come up with a good answer.
@Jon, No because the president does have authority to send the troops under certain guidelines as commander and chief and if the guidelines are exceeded it is up to congress to use its authority, not for the solider to determine.
Also in 1990 though we didn’t declare war with Iraq as we did with Germany, (Gulf War I) congressional approval and authorization was sought and given. In the Second Gulf War and in the Afghan Campaign while war was not declared Congressional approval was sought and granted. None of this has anything to do with my opinion about these conflicts, solely the legality and constitutionality around them.
Now one could make a case that the NATO operation in Egypt was unconstitutional because the president didn’t go to congress for approval, but even it would be a very thin case due to the duration of the involvement. However the recent assignation of an American citizen (who I do believe was a terrorist) without even the attempt to apprehension and trial, was unconstitutional.
Now we can argue as to whether the President should have this much authority but under the current system he does. If we want that changed, we have to change it.