JD Bowman/Hamel/Vance is saw as much combat as a marine as he grew up in Appalachia. Which is to say, not at all. He was raised in the safety of an Ohio suburb. I actually grew up in Appalachia--SW PA--although not a hillbilly, a secure middle class existence.
As an old, my DH received a number in the draft lottery of 19. Somehow, he managed to get himself into a NY National Guard unit on Long Island. He was sent to Georgia for basic training and South Carolina for ACS to learn how to be a signalman. Then it was 6 years of monthly meetings and 2-week sessions in Watertown, NY. He left as an E-5.
According to the DOD, he's a veteran. If you served, you served. To hell with these people.
As a Military Brat, daughter of a West Point graduate who was a decorated combat engineer in two wars and 40 years of service, I can enlighten you that to the Military “in war” means something different than civilians might think. Civilians think you are only “in war” when you are running through a hail of bullets carrying a gun. To the military and their families, “in war” means when world events flare up so there is a possibility of deployment. Military personnel, at least in my dad’s day, had to maintain their weapons skills at all times, but a political flare up brought about a higher level of readiness. People in the military made sure their wills and affairs were in order, they started having those hard conversations with their kids about “keeping up your grades and helping around the house if I have to be gone”. And everyone knew deployment to a danger zone was a possibility. Kids knew there were odds, by this time next year, they might not have that parent. Service people made peace with the fact that they could end up in a war zone at any moment. But they continued to do whatever job the Military ordered them to do. Sometimes that was stateside, sometimes it was in a staging area like Germany (where Tim Walz served for a time), sometimes it was in a danger zone under fire. But to the military and their families, that was “at war”. Perhaps Tim Walz should fall back on Civilian Talk, but that might be tough after 24 years of active service.
As far as my parents were concerned, when I was stationed in Germany, Honduras, or Korea, I was "at war". They fretted all the time, to the point where they saw protests going on in Seoul with pepper gas being sprayed and batons wielded and were deeply concerned about my safety. I informed them that you can't trust TV to give you the real picture. A block away from the protests, life proceeded as normal, except sometimes you got a whiff of the pepper gas.
Thank you for the education. It's too bad that former obviously professional military guy Vance wasn't sufficiently versed in professional military talk to get that. Unless, of course, he's just a lying liar who lies. Who's to know?
The WaPo really tried to make a big deal out of this for some reason. Annoying. As far as I can tell, it's just that one shithead loudmouth from his old unit who keeps this going.
In any case, anyone who didn't get out of that clusterfuck when they had the chance was a damn fool.
My dad enlisted in the USAF rather than be drafted in 1964. He was in Crete for 2 years and San Antonio for the last two. He admitted that that the only reason he didn't re-up was because he would've had to go to SE Asia for a tour.
I pointed out on Twitter that my sister was closer to combat in Desert Storm than Vance ever got.
My father narrowly avoided Vietnam by getting accepted to the Army Dental School. He worked as a dental assistant for his second 10 years, until a series of heart attacks ended his plans of going longer than the initial 20.
Remember when all the Republicans at the Republican National Convention wore little purple heart bandages to make fun of John Kerry's military service?
All the MAGA folks I see online lately, friends and fam on the FB, are posting about how Tim Walz let Minneapolis burn during the George Floyd protests and BLM protests. That's what they're saying about him, more than the other stuff.
My husband signed up to serve in the USN during the Vietnam war, in spite of his doctor telling him he was eligible for a deferment due to his lousy vision. He was an EM on a mine sweeper toward the end. Some of these choads have said that doesn't count as "real" service because he wasn't in harm's way. I kid you not.
JD Bowman/Hamel/Vance is saw as much combat as a marine as he grew up in Appalachia. Which is to say, not at all. He was raised in the safety of an Ohio suburb. I actually grew up in Appalachia--SW PA--although not a hillbilly, a secure middle class existence.
As an old, my DH received a number in the draft lottery of 19. Somehow, he managed to get himself into a NY National Guard unit on Long Island. He was sent to Georgia for basic training and South Carolina for ACS to learn how to be a signalman. Then it was 6 years of monthly meetings and 2-week sessions in Watertown, NY. He left as an E-5.
According to the DOD, he's a veteran. If you served, you served. To hell with these people.
Ta, Dok. Jadey Dunce is welcome to go fuck himself, or his couch, or his beard.
As a Military Brat, daughter of a West Point graduate who was a decorated combat engineer in two wars and 40 years of service, I can enlighten you that to the Military “in war” means something different than civilians might think. Civilians think you are only “in war” when you are running through a hail of bullets carrying a gun. To the military and their families, “in war” means when world events flare up so there is a possibility of deployment. Military personnel, at least in my dad’s day, had to maintain their weapons skills at all times, but a political flare up brought about a higher level of readiness. People in the military made sure their wills and affairs were in order, they started having those hard conversations with their kids about “keeping up your grades and helping around the house if I have to be gone”. And everyone knew deployment to a danger zone was a possibility. Kids knew there were odds, by this time next year, they might not have that parent. Service people made peace with the fact that they could end up in a war zone at any moment. But they continued to do whatever job the Military ordered them to do. Sometimes that was stateside, sometimes it was in a staging area like Germany (where Tim Walz served for a time), sometimes it was in a danger zone under fire. But to the military and their families, that was “at war”. Perhaps Tim Walz should fall back on Civilian Talk, but that might be tough after 24 years of active service.
As far as my parents were concerned, when I was stationed in Germany, Honduras, or Korea, I was "at war". They fretted all the time, to the point where they saw protests going on in Seoul with pepper gas being sprayed and batons wielded and were deeply concerned about my safety. I informed them that you can't trust TV to give you the real picture. A block away from the protests, life proceeded as normal, except sometimes you got a whiff of the pepper gas.
Thank you for the education. It's too bad that former obviously professional military guy Vance wasn't sufficiently versed in professional military talk to get that. Unless, of course, he's just a lying liar who lies. Who's to know?
I find it super easy to forgive his wording and see it in the most sincere light possible.
People of extremely bad faith dog a person's military service for their own gain.
The WaPo really tried to make a big deal out of this for some reason. Annoying. As far as I can tell, it's just that one shithead loudmouth from his old unit who keeps this going.
In any case, anyone who didn't get out of that clusterfuck when they had the chance was a damn fool.
It's a real shame that JD Bowman/Vance wasn't awarded the Silver Brenda Starr medal for meritorious service in a press room.
Swiftboat II: The Fuckening
My dad enlisted in the USAF rather than be drafted in 1964. He was in Crete for 2 years and San Antonio for the last two. He admitted that that the only reason he didn't re-up was because he would've had to go to SE Asia for a tour.
I pointed out on Twitter that my sister was closer to combat in Desert Storm than Vance ever got.
My father narrowly avoided Vietnam by getting accepted to the Army Dental School. He worked as a dental assistant for his second 10 years, until a series of heart attacks ended his plans of going longer than the initial 20.
Remember when all the Republicans at the Republican National Convention wore little purple heart bandages to make fun of John Kerry's military service?
I want someone to ask the couch molester what he thinks about his boss saying McCain was no hero because he was captured.
All the MAGA folks I see online lately, friends and fam on the FB, are posting about how Tim Walz let Minneapolis burn during the George Floyd protests and BLM protests. That's what they're saying about him, more than the other stuff.
TFG praised the guy's response, so maybe let them know that and watch their heads asplode.
How soon before JD Vance decides to roll out a word he learned while he was doing 'combat correspondence' for the Marines over in Iraq?
That word is 'POGUE'.
JD got an earful of that word every single day he served.
I wonder if he has the balls to try to use that word on Tim Walz?
Please proceed Senator Vance! Give it a try!
Whoa, not even a rear-echelon motherfucker, or REMF!
Shouldn't we all be more worried about the honor that Jeb! Davis Vance stole from all those couches?
AJ Delgado has a few bones to pick, huh?
My husband signed up to serve in the USN during the Vietnam war, in spite of his doctor telling him he was eligible for a deferment due to his lousy vision. He was an EM on a mine sweeper toward the end. Some of these choads have said that doesn't count as "real" service because he wasn't in harm's way. I kid you not.
I'm fascinated by the fact that they got bupkis.