Veterans Day: What Lays Behind the Day We Honor Those Who Served?

 

November 11th is Veterans Day.  However, it was not always known as such. It was originally called "Armistice Day" or "Remembrance Day" to honor of the day when the guns of World War One officially fell silent on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour(WWI was also known as "the Great War" and "war to end all wars"). In truth of course, the Treaty of Versailles which officially ended the war set the stage for the Second World War barely 27 years later.

The fuse which lit the carnage known as World War One began on June 28, 1914 following the assassination of the Habsburg Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophia of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by the Bosnian Serb anarchist Gavrilo Princip. Ferdinand's father, the Emperor Franz Joseph held the Serbians responsible and despite (or perhaps because of) a broken heart and halfhearted demands for justice failed, war declared 30 days later on July 28th and the carnage which claimed  20 million lives while wounding 21 million others began.

I always found it ironic that the warring parties had actually agreed to a ceasefire weeks earlier, but apparently thought it poetic to chose the 11th hour, 11th day, and 11th month to formally stop shooting each other. Obviously no one bothered to ask the soldiers stuck in the mud and muck of the trenches, suffering from dysentery and trench foot or forced into eating rats for their opinion. If they had, I suspect they'd would have been quite willing to forgo the turn of a phrase and just go home.  

But Veteran's Day doesn't just mark the end of World War One.  It is also intended to honor the men and women who've served in our armed forces. As of 2023, just 6% of the U.S. population or about 16 million individuals, can call themselves veterans, and that number is declining.  In 1980, 18% of Americans were veterans.

Meanwhile,  veterans are twice as likely to be homeless as the average American. Some 67,000 veterans---10% of the homeless population---are chronically homeless. 76% have some form of substance abuse or untreated mental illness. Almost one million live near or below the poverty level and about 30% between the ages of 18 and 24 are unemployed.

Fewer and fewer of our elected representatives have served in the military. The last President to do so was George W Bush who served in the Texas Air National Guard, although he never saw combat.  The last president who did see combat was George's dad, George H.W. Bush, who served in the Navy during WWII.

America was still recovering from a severe economic depression when it was attacked on December 7, 1941 by the Japanese surprise at Pearl Harbor. The following day, the U.S. declared war. Eventually some 16 million men were to serve in uniform. Their average age was 26. One million of those would actually see combat.  405,399 of them would die. That's one death for every 58 soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine.

Just over 400,000 women volunteered (they weren't drafted) to serve in various military auxiliary units known as the WACs, WAVEs, Coast Guard SPARs, Marine Corp Women's Reserve, and the Navy and Army Nursing Corps.  While they didn't serve in combat, they still served in every theater of war and provided invaluable support to the war effort.

It's worth noting that of those who served, 38.8% were volunteers. They mostly enlisted at the start of the war. 61.2% were drafted. 73% of them served overseas, with an average of 16 months abroad.  The average term of enlistment was 33 months. And they did all this for just an average of $71.33 per month. If you were an officer, you earned $203.50 per month.

According to the Veteran Administration, of those nearly 17 million brave men and women of the greatest generation", there are just 120,000 World War II veterans still alive today. That comprises just 1% of all veterans today.

The Korean War came on the heels of WWII, which begun on June 27, 1950 and continued through January 31, 1955 (technically, the war is still considered to be "hot" since only a cease fire or armistice was signed by the various warring parties). 6.8 million men and women were to serve during the Korean War. Of those, there are 767,000 veterans of the Korean War alive today, which comprises about 4% of all veterans.  

The Vietnam War was arguably the most contentious war in recent U.S. history. The Vietnam War in truth a civil war which was between the Communist factions most situated in the north and the nominally "democratic" factions in the south following the defeat of the French in 1954 at Diem Bien Phu.  The war initially had begun as an attempt to oust the colonial French from Vietnam, which was interrupted by the invading Japanese during WWII, and resumed following the defeat of Imperial Japan.  

U.S. involvement began in earnest in early 1961 and continued through May 1975. During that time, more than 2.7 men and women served in Vietnam, which represented about 9.7% of their generation. The average age of GI in Vietnam was just 19 years old.  7,484 women served in Vietnam as well. 85.5% or 6,250 of them served as nurses.  58,148 of those who served in Vietnam lost their lives. Of those killed, 61% were under 21 years of age with the average age of those killed was 23. 11 years old. 1,611 servicemen are still missing.

The Vietnam war also produced tens of thousands of wounded and disabled. 303,704 individuals were wounded in action. 75,000 were listed as severely disabled. 23,214 are rated as 100% disabled. 5,283 lost a limb while 1,081 lost multiple limbs, and yet while those numbers are high, the number of amputations in WWII were 300% higher. However, because of the use of booby-traps, multiple amputations occurred at a rate of 18.4% of injuries compare to 5.4% in WWII.

It's worth pointing out that 88.4% of those who served in Vietnam were classified as white (which included Hispanics). 12.5% were black, and 1.2% were Asian or of another or mixed race. Of those who were killed, 86.8% were white. 12.4% were black and 1.1 belonged to another race. 14.6% of blacks killed were no-combat related. 34% of blacks volunteered for combat duty.  

76% of the men who served in Vietnam were from poor or working class backgrounds. 75% had family incomes below the poverty level while 23% came from upper middle or better economic backgrounds. Almost 80% had a high school degree or better. 91% of those who served regardless of race or economic background said they were glad they did and 74% said they'd do it again knowing the same outcome.

It's also worth noting that 97% of Vietnam veterans received a honorable discharge. 240 earned the Medal of Honor. Today, there are 5.6 million veterans of the Vietnam War still alive. That's about 30% of all veterans.

43% of all veterans today served in the Gulf War Era. That's about 7.8 million men and women who served from 1990 to present according to the Veterans Administration. Operation Desert Shield, which ran from August 2, 1990 to January 17, 1991.Operation Desert Shield was from January 17, 1991 through February 28, 1991 resulted in the deaths of 148  U.S. service personnel (including deaths by so-called "friendly fire").  Another 235 died of non-combat related injuries while 1,565 died in what the military termed "non-theater" related action while 467 individuals were wounded.  

Meanwhile, the euphemistically named "Enduring Freedom", which was the U.S. war in Afghanistan lasted from October 1, 2001 until December 28, 2014 saw 2,402 military personnel killed along with 10 CIA operatives. 1.5 million men and women served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, which saw the deaths of 4,492 U.S. military personnel, of which 3,481 were killed in action.  Operation Iraqi Freedom ran from 2003 until 2011.

Serving in the military isn't for everyone. It takes courage and commitment. Many say the rewards are worth it and far outweigh the risks, but believe me, as a disabled veteran, the sacrifices are real. However, the military is our first and last line of defense against those who wish us harm. 

While we may disagree with the political policies which, intentionally or not, put our military in harm's way for the sake of material gain or power, we should never allow that to affect our respect for those men and women who stand ready to defend this nation at a moment's notice.

Finally, remember that when someone joins the U.S. military, regardless of age, race, ethnic group, or any other factor, they take an oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. That oath doesn't come with an expiration date. We are all the more safer as a nation thanks to our veteran-citizens. So, be sure to thank a veteran or active duty military member, not just on Veteran's Day, but any time you happen to meet one. 

 

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Research Starters: US Military by the Numbers

VVA Chapter 310: Vietnam War Statistics

The Changing Face of America's veteran population

 

Biden's "New World Order"

President Joe Biden recently spoke to the U.S. Business Roundtable, powerful non-profit lobbyist association, and made a rather interesting comment. He said "Now is a time when things are shifting. We’re going to — there’s going to be a new world order out there, and we’ve got to lead it. And we’ve got to unite the rest of the free world in doing it".  So, what are we to make of that?  

The first thing we should to note is the near silence by the corporate media to the comment. When President George H.W. Bush, speaking of the situation in the Persian Gulf, said "Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective -- a new world order -- can emerge...", the media pounced on it. Political talk shows were all over his remarks about a "new world order" and its projected meaning, and yet with Biden, the media's response is rather low key. Why is that, besides the obvious fact that Bush was a Republican and Biden is a Democrat?

President Bush's comment, made in 1991, was in regards to the growing situation with Iraq's invasion of the Kuwait (or more specifically, the takeover of Kuwaiti oil fields which impacted key oil companies with which Bush had close connections as a Texas oilman). He was speaking about an American led coalition of nations acting in unison in removing Iraqi President from Kuwait; the United States as the world's chief police officer and arbiter of all things sacred  just.

In this case with Biden, he was addressing some of the most powerful individuals in America, the presidents and CEO of the nation's largest corporations such as Ford, General Motors, Facebook, Amazon, Exxon, Twitter, and Alphabet, about  the current situation in the Ukraine.

He also went on to say that the world has reached a "inflection point" (which is a major change in direction) which only occurs every three or four generations. He added that it was up to the U.S. to determine the outcome of this global change and then lead it.

Unlike Bush's speech, in which the U.S. and its allies at the time had jointly used sanctions backed up with military operations, Biden was addressing the use of sanctions and the potential of NATO to contain Russia, which is, in itself, questionable given Europe's dependence on Russian oil and gas.

If, going on Biden's comment, we look back roughly three or so generations back to what he says was the last great inflection point in humanity's history, we're looking at World War II. That war, which was in truth a continuation of the first world war, marked the rise and fall of Nazi Germany and Fascism, the Holocaust, the creation of Israel and expulsion of Palestinians,  the beginnings of the Cold War, and with it, the change of the world's economy.

Following the end of World War II, America's global role did change. It became the dominate world economy. It also became, albeit briefly, the world's sole "superpower".  It helped lead the way to the creation of the United Nations in June 1945, just two months after VE Day and two months before VJ in the Pacific. It orchestrated the creation of NATO in 1955 as the Cold War between the three Western Allies and Soviet Russia begun (the Warsaw Pact, was formed in 1955 as a response to NATO).

But perhaps more important,  this "inflection point" created a new economic order out of the ashes of war which called for global trade on a previously unheard of level, a breakup of trade restrictions, the creation of global reserve currency---the U.S. dollar, and the eventual end of the gold standard. The post WWII period was seen as the "Golden Age of Capitalism".

However, all that glitters isn't necessarily golden. The economic colonialism it created led to the rise of OPEC and the use of oil and gas as an economic weapon (resulting in the oil and gas crisis of 1973/74) along with the stock market crash and subsequent recession of 1973 through 1975 (the joke at the time was "if it's a recession in Washington DC then it's a depression in the rest of America").

We also saw America first exert its attempt to be the world's policeman; enforcing what it saw as right and wrong, which included overthrowing of legitimately elected governments (almost always "socialist") and the installation of brutal right wing militaristic juntas. Many times it also included the assassination or imprisonment of leaders and political opponents. But, as long as they were "business friendly", that was all that mattered. So, what was President Biden implying with his comment?

If Biden was implying that because of the recent quagmire Russia has found itself in or that somehow Russia will emerge as a weaker and less effective economically or militarily, he needs to reconsider his opinion. There's no question that Putin's invasion of the Ukraine was ill-conceived, even though his reasoning---to avoid encirclement---was understandable.

Russia has incurred the wrath of the world. It is facing historic economic sanctions, but sanctions alone aren't going to be effective. Russia has developed some strong trade relationships with other countries; particularly China, which now finds itself in a unique position. Both countries have a long history of being "frenemies", not altogether too different than the one it has with the United States.  If forced to choose between the West and Russia, China's economic interests lays to the West and Russia knows it.

Militarily, the Ukraine hasn't proven to be the "marshmallow" Putin's military advisers envisioned it to be.  We can see Putin's growing frustration and impatience through the increase in his use of more and more destructive weapons like hypersonic missiles or  "vacuum bombs".  We've also witnessed his advances breaking down thanks to stiff resistance of Kiev's military and the tenacity of its citizens.

This is, in quick order I suspect, going to put Putin at his own "inflection point" of either facing a protracted war similar to the one Russia fought in Afghanistan; escalating the war to a nuclear or biological level which would earn more than mere condemnation or sanctions and a likely reprisal by NATO and the U.S., or concluding a peace which excludes a NATO presence in the Ukraine and annexation of the Donbass. 

We would also be amiss not to mention President Biden's call for Putin to be charged as a "war criminal" and held accountable by the Hague for war crimes. As an aside, the Nuremberg Trials following WWII, was the first time a country's leaders were ever had personally responsible for the policies and orders given during the conflict.

Since then,  few leaders have been arrested or voluntarily turned themselves in to faced a trial. It's highly unlikely that Putin will be subject to either. First of all, it's very difficult to determine what a political leader ordered and how their subordinates interrupted those orders, especially under wartime conditions.

If the extermination camps had not been discovered, and (to be brutally honest), had the Jews living in U.S., the UK, and elsewhere, hadn't had the clout they did, it's unlikely that any of the Nazi leaders would have put on trial, let alone executed. Don't believe me?  Consider the Roma gypsies.

More Roma were murder (based on percentage of population) than Jews or any of the other groups in Nazi camps, and yet what compensation or recognition have they received? Did these homeless people receive land for a country? How many museums or monuments exist for them? 

As an aside, there's no question that Japanese, Hungarian, Romanian, and Italian war leaders were just as guilty as were some of Nazis, and yet virtually none were executed in the numbers that the Nazis were, nor the fact that the Allies were guilty of war crimes too, though not to the same extent.

Lastly, let's consider the notion of a "new world order" itself. The concept was intended to the creation of a more integrated world, ranging from stabilized trade, global justice, and manufacturing to issues like poverty, disease control, education, and environmental issues. Some would include the spread of democracy. 

In truth, the "new world order" is nothing more than an illusion. It requires a central authority that requires the suppression of national sovereignty. It assumes that the nations are lining up to become "democratic", when in truth democracy isn't for everyone, least of all American style democracy.

Did you know that of all the world's democracies, none---not one---has modeled itself on the United States? Instead, they've chosen the British parliamentarian style principally because it doesn't rig the system with two "winner take all" corporate owned parties, but allows everyone to have a voice with multiparty representation.

For that matter, America isn't a democratic as it thinks it is. In fact, it's ranked #25 according to the Heritage Foundation, putting it in the lower half of the "Mostly Free" section.  In addition, America is listed as a "flawed democracy", which is one step above a failed democracy.

Officially the U.S. is still called a Republic, but is in fact a Corporatocracy, which is a sort of neo-fascist merger between government and big business.  So, who is the "freest country in the world? Singapore, followed by Switzerland and Ireland. Surprised?

America has also forfeited its role as the world's policeman and arbiter of what it defines as "good" or "moral". The world doesn't want to become mirror images of the U.S.. Perhaps this type of leadership was needed following the chaos of WWII where a certain guidance was needed, but no more. Nations don't want a "big brother". They want fair trade and to be treated as equals. They want to develop and embrace their own culture, traditions, and values, and with it, their own economies without being dominated or manipulated by imperialistic corporations.

So, where does the leave President Biden and his "new world order"? Well, other than stroking the egos of a few dozen powerbrokers who together own both political parties, not much. American hegemony is on the decline. Using the threat of economic or military muscle to force of open markets or gain access to resources will not be effected going forward.

Capitalism must constantly consume and innovate to survive or else it dies. In addition, it faces a growing competition from China. Therefore, it must find ways to create equitable and long lasting partnerships to succeed such as investing in its partner's education, job training, and infrastructure. Relationships can no longer be disposable or one sided.   

At the same time, America must encourage other nations to become their own regional policemen and assume responsibility for their own security. America can no longer afford to pick up the tab. It needs to invest in its own education, technology, and infrastructure in order to remain competitive.

If there is a "new world order",  it will have to be one of regionalization coupled with fair trade. There is a time for expansion and then there is a time for internalization. Now is the time for the later.

If you want to know more, please take a look at the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read A/O. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation.  

 

Biden says U.S. must lead 'new world order'

Bush 'Out Of These Troubled Times...A New World Order'

Lists of wars from 1946 to 1989

2022 Index of Economic Freedom