In Memoriam

[coldflash]

There's been some national media coverage reminiscing about the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.The event occurred Aug. 15-18 1969.It's been called a "defining event" in U. S. history.

I won't editorialize except to remind the media and us that history tells us 109 Americans died in Vietnam during those four days.

If you reminisce about Woodstock,please remember the "defining event" in the (short) lives of those servicemen.

Thanks and God Bless.

[Daisy]

Time for a little reality check............

Woodstock was a lot of hippie type druggies all getting together to listen to good music, preach peace and love, have unlimited sex and smoke as much pot as possible. (lots of other drugs, too, of course)

Now, I have nothing against pot, good music and sex, but to call Woodstock a defining event in US history is ridiculous! It was really no more than a huge concert/orgy/drug fest. Most of those people had and maybe still have no idea of how the real world works. Hell, have you seen the pictures? They couldn't even pick up after themselves!!

Those soldiers who fought for this country and those who gave their lives for this country (instead of bashing the country), are a much better symbol of the real people of this world. Preaching peace and love is sunshiney and happy and lovely and flowery, but the bad guys of this world don't pay attention to that message. Yeah, go figure....

Hippie types tend to deny reality - soldiers accept reality and do their duty for this great country of ours.

God bless and watch over all of those soldiers.........

[chief26]

As a reminder Woodstock would have been a crime without soldiers doing what they have done for this country over and over again.

Woodstock was a difining moment though it symbolized that complete loss of control leads to anarchy no matter how good the music was.

[Zoidberg]

Time for a little reality check............

I hope that reality check isn't drawn on Bank of America because the lines there are ridiculous. :yucky:


Now, I have nothing against pot, good music and sex, but to call Woodstock a defining event in US history is ridiculous!

People remember it. People changed their views of the world when they saw it on TV. Of course it was defining, whether for better or worse. Even the late Walter Cronkite seemed to think so.


Those soldiers who fought for this country and those who gave their lives for this country (instead of bashing the country), are a much better symbol of the real people of this world.

What constitutes a real person? Are hippies somehow.. like.. fictional? That is sooo far out!

Preaching peace and love is sunshiney and happy and lovely and flowery, but the bad guys of this world don't pay attention to that message.

Worked for Gandhi.


Hippie types tend to deny reality - soldiers accept reality and do their duty for this great country of ours.

I would postulate that the drug use rate of soldiers in the Vietnam theater exceeded that of their peers stateside. There is no better determinant of "acceptance of reality" than whether one uses drugs to escape it.

[coldflash]

What the Hell have I started?

[pdc]

There's been some national media coverage reminiscing about the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.The event occurred Aug. 15-18 1969.It's been called a "defining event" in U. S. history.

I won't editorialize except to remind the media and us that history tells us 109 Americans died in Vietnam during those four days.

If you reminisce about Woodstock,please remember the "defining event" in the (short) lives of those servicemen.

Thanks and God Bless.

I am in alignment with your idea of sharing such a commemoration. The Woodstock movie poster features the defining tag "Three Days of Peace & Music" - indeed, all such large counter-cultural events in those days were intimately connected with consciousness of the Viet Nam War. Certainly, the overwhelming majority of those at Woodstock (including a large and visible contingent of VVAW) were supportive of the soldiers, and had wanted them home way before 1969...

In fact, by August of 1970, the war was being waged largely for public relations and purely political reasons; the policy was already clearly and widely recognized as an utter failure, and any sense of "victory" was understood to be meaningless. Walter Cronkite (also being celebrated this summer) had already sadly shaken his head and turned against the policy. Robert McNamara (another being recognized this summer) has acknowledged the failure of the policy. (I highly recommend "The Fog of War (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317910/)" to any who have not yet seen it)

Unfortunately, if we were to actively remember all such brave soldiers who had their "defining event" 40 years ago, we'd be pretty damn busy for the next five years. And, in doing so, the cynicism of the continuation of that doomed war policy, and the consequent cost in lives lost, bodies wrecked, and psyches traumatized, over that period would have to be encountered all over again, and cause the same revulsion all over again - I'm not sure we (Americans) could sustain it.

But the sacrifice of those soldiers is, itself, worthy of whatever commemoration we can muster.....

[Daisy]

But the sacrifice of those soldiers is, itself, worthy of whatever commemoration we can muster.....

Well said, pdc - I totally agree. We don't have to respect the reasons the war was being fought, but we do have to respect the soldiers who fought it. The way they were treated when they got home was absolutely horrible. They deserved then and deserve now our admiration and our appreciation.