A little legal update tonight that comes with pretty pictures, appropriate for Memorial Day weekend. Back in January, we discussed an incident that happened in New Hampshire ahead of the primary, involving a deep fake robocall of Joe Biden telling Democrats to stay home from the polls and “save” their vote for the general election.
As a former resident and state worker in New Hampshire I know the folks there take politics very seriously. It is heartening to hear that individuals reported the fake calls.
BTW- Joyce thanks for sharing the New Hampshire photos. I lived there for 12 years.
“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”
George Washington
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Abraham Lincoln
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
“Now, as a nation, we don’t promise equal outcomes, but we were founded on the idea everybody should have an equal opportunity to succeed. No matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, you can make it. That’s the essential promise of America. Where you start should not determine where you end up.”
Barack Obama
“Statements are made about me by certain people in the crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 angry Democrat Trump haters which are fabricated and… total bullshit.”
Thanks Joyce, my father flew in the B17 daylight bombing missions in 1943 before being shot down. He ended up in a prison camp. May have been a gift to our family because he lived to be 101. The Apple series “Masters of the Air” is his exact story. He was a born a democrat from birth. He could not believe what was happening either the GOP as well as anyone with integrity to the constitution. He would certainly heartily support your incredible efforts.
My dad was also in the Pacific during WWII, on LST 705. He also died of emphysema at 69. In writing letters to my father two decades after his death, I chastise the boy he was at war for smoking and share with him news of the future when the Surgeon General finally required warnings about the dangers of smoking. Here's to the men and women fighting for our democracy. May they rest in Peace.
LETTERS FROM INSIDE THE WHALE: RESUMING THE CONVERSATION MY FATHER AND I NEVER HAD...ABOUT HIS WAR (scheduled for release this summer)
We needed that this weekend, Joyce. Good news, beautiful pictures and the reminder that this weekend is about something real. My Mother, an Iowa farm girl who had never seen the ocean before, waded ashore from a stranded landing craft with a big bundle of medical supplies balanced on her head. Normandy. Day or two after D-Day, to a beach littered as far as she could see, covered with human bodies. She was twenty-three years old and her group and others spread out over the beach to triage, flag the ones who could be saved, and determine who could not. To those, she cradled their heads as she stuck the long morphine needle deep into them and she told them how they would always be loved, appreciated and remembered. She would never speack of what she saw at the front line, all the way to the arms of the Red Army soldiers waving from the other side of the Elb River, many months later.
That is what this weekend is about. Twenty three years old. They were all kids with dreams.
No one can. How many of our unhoused veterans, living on the street, could speak of similar horrors. Does anyone invite them to a Memorial Day BBQ and thank them?
Growing up, my father's screams would wake me up almost every night untill I went away to college. He was a Flying Tiger n China. When he got shot down in a trap on the Yangze River, his cockpit erupted in flames as he struggled to push the canopy open with his legs to bail out. He had that dream until a friend coaxed him into his writers workshop nd put it all down on paper. He was about seventy then and only well up in his ninetys, did he hve nother, shortly before he passed.
There are thousands of those stories all over the world. No one tells their stories on Memorial Day.
My friend, Maxine Hong Kingston, wrote with Vietnam veterans to give them voice. I think she may have been one of the first writers to recognize the healing power of allowing veterans to have voice and to tell their stories. My now deceased husband was an Army psychologist in Vietnam. He also woke up, screaming every night from the horrors described to him by soldiers as he had to decide whether to write papers to send one home, to administer hospitalization and medical prescriptions, or to send them back to the battle. He was in a medical unit and as such, wasn’t allowed to have a weapon. So when the bombings began, he and others were simply sitting ducks. And when he returned to the United States, arriving in San Francisco, he was spat upon. A beautiful person who could’ve avoided the war by claiming he was a pacifist (he was). We were together at an event some 30 years after he had returned from Vietnam, dropped out of med school and decided to be a business guy. When the master of ceremonies at the event asked people in the audience to stand if they had been in all the different wars when it came to Vietnam and I stood as his wife. Then he finally stood up, as everyone clapped. He told me later that was the first time he had been acknowledged for his service. I protested the war he didn’t want to go, yet did and served honorably. His healing began after that experience of recognition. Indeed we need to recognize our veterans and appreciate them. So we have these incredible men and women of honor and then we have ‘Heel Spurs, who is running as the presumed Republican nominee. Vote blue in droves to honor our loved one’s memories. I’m wondering if Nikki Haley doesn’t have something up her sleeve for an insurrection at the convention.
Thank you so much for sharing this story. I have been trying to figure out somewhere I could volunteer my services. I am a writer and you made me realize I could work with veterans to help them find their voice. That is something I could give them. Thank you
Maxine has written several books including ‘The Woman Warrior.’ I copied this from Amazon re her book that came about as the result of her holding workshops with what began as Vietnam veterans who really had no voice and many of them didn’t even want to be in the war. That pretty much described my Jim. I knew her when she was writing and conducting workshops ,collecting stories from those who had not been listened to before. This book includes the stories of veterans from Vietnam but other wars as well with stories from their spouses and children: all suffered from trauma. I copied the synopsis below from Amazon. Brava to you for caring about our veterans. You are doing a service for humanity. i’ve also thought that these kinds of workshops and meditation groups could help us all from our experience of January 6. I was caring for Jim with his second go-round of cancer at the time. He had encountered Agent Orange in Vietnam. And since I’m not part of the Trump world MAGA, I didn’t know January 6 was brewing or occurring. When I finally picked up my cell phone to check the news at 10 o’clock that night, I discovered reruns of the horrific battle at our nation’s capitol. I think I’m one of the few Americans who had no idea this horrific event was going on that day: I have no television and don’t intend to get one so because I was so busy with medical issues I was simply unaware. I didn’t know it was coming, I didn’t know when it was going on, and I learned about it after the fact, but I watched a lot of the reruns. I stayed up all night to watch the ratification of our votes. I can tell you that, even watching the reruns was traumatic. As we delved deeper into finding out about the coup planning that had been going on since November 9, 2020, the mind-boggling power grab that Trump nearly pulled off has resulted in trauma for many within our population. That Trump is now encouraging his cultists to act out in violence against neighbors, is a sign of his depravity. Trump (who paid for the x-rays of another individual with heel spurs to receive six deferments from Vietnam and thus didn’t see a war firsthand, and who has been disrespectful and demeaning to our military members and leaders) is proposing bloodshed on our soil. A number of our citizens were traumatized and still are from January 6, and I think conducting writing workshops to help them find voice to talk January 6 and the aftermath would also be powerful. It could be your next book to share with those who wish to start their own healing workshops. What we have lived through collectively, as a nation is no less traumatic than being in a war zone on foreign shores And in fact, it’s worse in a sense because we are supposed to be safe in our own homes. As I said, I don’t have television, but I think folks who are turning on their televisions on an all day basis are visiting the Jan 6 trauma no matter the ‘new Trump topic.’ I know we’re going to win by a landslide on November 5. Logic prevails. However, there’s a tone of insecurity among some of the Substack members here who talk about ‘leaving the country’ and ‘readying their passports’ and such. That’s the result of ‘fight or flight’ with no place to flee. I believe writing workshops would be powerful for we who are the survivors of January 6.
Whenever I am overwhelmed with work/projects/life events, I think about Maxine Hong Kingston as she was in the middle of writing what I believe was “the fifth book of peace.“ She was away from home I think teaching at Berkeley when the Oakland fire burned her home and she lost her only draft of that book. She had to start over. I may be getting the time-frame mixed up, but I believe that it was during this period that she began holding writing meditation workshops with Vietnam veterans. As Joyce said the other day: “never despair, never give up.”
Copied from Amazon:
‘Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace’ Maxine Hong Kingston. includes accounts from people that grew up in military families, served as medics in the thick of war, or came home to homelessness. All struggle with trauma - PTSD, substance abuse, and other consequences of war and violence. Through their extraordinary writings, readers witness worlds coming apart and being put back together again through liberating insight, community, and the deep transformation that is possible only by coming to grips with the past.
For more than 15 years, National Book Award-winning author Maxine Hong Kingston has led writing-and-meditation workshops for veterans and their families. The contributors to this volume are part of this community of writers working together to heal the trauma of war through art.
Thank you both. Yes. Recognition. Gifting respect rather than pity for another’s suffering is the ultimate act of compassion. It is often the key to allowing a broken heart to heal. 💔
2. Memorial day. I am a Vietnam combat veteran. 1966-67. We took tremendous losses while exaggerating body counts. After the war, stuff like agent orange killed more of us than the VC or the NVA. Veterans have high suicide rates, often have self destructive behavior.
If I have had success, a lot of it is due to my veteran status. No thanks to Republicans who consider veterans as "takers". Republicans would sunset VA benefits. Since Ike, Biden has the best record in support of veterans. E.G.
IMHO there is a trend that many veterans who supported Trump twice feel the sting "not suckers or losers."
I'm in a DNC veteran's discussion group. "Not suckers or losers" repeated daily works. 4 million people on Facebook are veterans or active duty members. 12.5 million people on Facebook are family members of a veteran or an active duty member. 242 million people on Facebook are friends with one or more veterans or active duty members. Vote Vets has hundreds of videos of veterans who voted for Trump X 2 but now oppose him. General Anderson has gone viral. https://votevets.org/videos/brig-gen-ret-steven-anderson-discusses-wapo-op-ed-regarding-new-capitol-insurrection-threat-on-cnn
If you want to help, visit military and history sites and say the magic words "not suckers or losers" and see what develops.
And register Democrats to honor service to our country.
Thank you for your service in Vietnam. And for bringing that experience to us today through fieldteam6.org and all that you share with us on this Substack. You have chosen to share. Thank you.
Daniel: After graduating from law school, I was among the last guys drafted in 1958, later commissioned at Ft. Dix after basic training and assigned to the Pentagon as a defense counsel, and then to continue my good fortune, I was extended in service during the Berlin Crisis. 3 for 1! But I learned a lot—we weren’t suckers or losers “in service” to our Nation!
Daniel, I watched General Anderson’s interview on the video you posted. I also watched General Eaton s interview on YouTube and read the WaPo OpEd by all three generals. Have any of their excellent suggestions been implemented? I have enormous respect for General Milliey and watched his post-retirement address when he gave a mini-civics lesson to the troops: ‘you serve to defend the constitution of the United States. Your loyalty is not to an individual.’ (I’m just paraphrasing from memory here and haven’t looked it up for the word for version. But that was the gist as he was trying to let military members know as he was leaving where their loyalty should be - following our constitutional framework). Plenty of these military officers have detailed the dangers they observed and averted during Trump’s presidency. I know we are going to win by a landslide. But the alarm raised by these generals, isn’t whether we’re winning or not, it’s what happens when we do, and the military fails to or refuses to recognize the win? We have right wing governors in Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma, as the generals point out, who have the national guards confused about who they serve. What if anything has been done to clarify with the National Guard commanders in those states that they really take their orders from Biden not the governor in time of national crisis? Do you have any opinion about progress that’s been made for the transition?
The generals were genuinely alarmed in 2021 and their fears can only have increased. I googled for an update from them, but I couldn’t find anything concrete. We know Biden will be the commander-in-chief. But General Eaton is concerned that troops down to the squad level don’t understand this. I think that’s a valid fear. And we are 5 months and one week away from the election. Of course we have some moving pieces: a possible conviction for Trump in New York after the election interference trial, the heat is on Alito regarding his flag flying.
It still hurts to think of how ignorant self-righteous people treated our Nam veterans when they returned. That includes some older vets who refused to recognize them as legitimate vets of foreign wars. That shocked me. It was those guys coming back from Nam who told the truth about what that war was really all about. Until they started getting attention, the media went along with the official line. Even reporters writing from Nam were ignored until the vets started speaking out.
I watched what that war did to my friends, my brother, the boys I went to high school with, the attitudes of many of my neighbors, and ultimately my country and its sense of itself. I joined the vets standing vigil in protest. I worked with Vietnam vets Against War, and invited them in groups of 3 or 4 to my house for dinner and some time spent remembering what it is like to function in regular society again. A lot of them hurt and some were broken. But for a little while they were part of a family, and I hope it helped them rebuild their lives. My indigenous relatives have created/recreated ceremonies of return and healing for vets of all backgrounds. I think we all need something like that, to relearn how to be a compassionate society again.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story, it is always the people from ordinary circumstance that become extraordinary. We are fortunate to have them!
Thanks to your Mom, and all those who served as she did, we have been able to grow up in a beautiful free country, able to strive to achieve our dreams.
I hope we can all preserve what she gallantly served to give to us.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Even as an Aussie, I majored in high-school history in the Documents of the American Civil War (see, you culturally dominated us thoroughly by 1969, but it had been going on for a couple of decades by then!) - and we learnt the Gettysburg Address as well.
Been to the site of the Address a couple of times ... very evocative. In fact Pennsylvania is a really interesting state to wander around, for a whole lot of reasons.
My brother-in-law lives next door almost, in Northern Maryland ... late in his life he's suffering various syndromes as a result of Agent Orange - he did three tours of Vietnam as a Green Beret. He can't drink red wine, which he used to love ... sulphate intolerance apparently.
I’m so glad that Abe is being read beyond our borders. He spoke for all humanity. Sorry about the fate of your brother-in-law. We always need to remember those who serve.
Thanks, but he's actually quite chirpy about it all ... despite being a unreconstructed Nixon Republican, he's liked 'going green' - and everything he eats now he either grows himself organically or he buys it from places he trusts. And he's shifted from his Pinot Noir to vodka!
He has no regrets or resentments, and still has a number of Vietnam / Pine Gap buddies.
It warms my heart to hear that your brother-in-law has been able to cope better than most. Tell him a fellow Marylander says thanks for serving in one of the most useless wars in history. I appreciate him.
Thanks for sharing this, Ian. He was a remarkable man for any continent.
But I am looking forward to visiting Australia in the next few years - closest I've come is Indonesia (travel on a budget!) Who should I read for some primary source Australian history?
Deep thanks to you, Joyce Vance. You are seeking and teaching justice for this country and its people. Those sunflowers in the photo reminded me of Ukraine. As our souls confront this most difficult period, I am grateful for the skill, diligence, humility and humanity you bring.
Doesn't matter. This dimbulb needed to get popped - "pour encourager les autres." Dimbulb "Democrats" need their head handed to them (not that there's anything in there of value). What's the over/under he's a Berner?
Please don’t try to demonstrate your knowledge of French if you have to rely on Google translation, especially on an important subject such as civil discourse. I would suggest you might want to stick to English in such a discussion.
I won't be surprised if that turns out to be the case. they're the ones who gave us Trump in 2016 when their "conscience" declared they had to write in Bernie's name, despite his pleas to them not to do it.
Love the brilliant woman, but/and she made a couple political mistakes / brave acts; she crossed big pharma and the health industry by passing HIPAA in 1996, and supporting ACA. (Disclosure - she dedicated my office building in Zambia in 2011. THAT wasn't a political mistake. ;))
I expect billions were spent to tarnish her over a 20 year period.
The margin of loss in Wisconsin and Michigan was 50,000. There were more Bernie write-in votes there than the margin of loss. The Berner's gave the winning margin.
TC, Sununu is in NH. Bernie is Senator from Vermont. Your suppositions are BS, something that you are good at. If you knew anything at all about this part of the country, you'd get that those two states are like two sparring neighbors. I live in one. Guess which.
Being from the New England state just south of New Hampshire, I'll stick up for my northern neighbor, but this did make me think of all the voter-suppression tactics being used by officials in red states. Wonder when they're going to get dealt with.
Yeah, as I read about that, and how quickly NH dealt with it, I pondered all the even more egregious voter suppression going on in certain other states that I don't even need to name, and how THEY are dealing with voter suppression tactics. Which is to say, not at all. They are going to court to protect it.
About 90% of the population of New Hampshire is white. The percentage in Vermont -- the 2nd whitest state in the union -- is similar. Black people, especially Black women, tend to vote Democratic. The Republicans in NH and VT don't have don't have anything to worry about. Yet.
Voter suppression in red states generally targets people of color and young people, and in some red states, notably those of the Deep South, the Black population is significant. Witness the gerrymandering shenanigans in Louisiana, Alabama, and North Carolina, etc.
What about the Republican venture to keep President off the ballot in Ohio? Why has that happened and can it be corrected since the registration date has passed. Thanks! Thanks each and every day for what you contribute to the info in our lives!
I don’t understand how or why they can do that. Keeping someone off the ballot because they’re the other party. Reminds me kind of like the Colorado decision to keep Trump off the ballot but was swatted down by the SC.
DeWine has played politics, seeming to help but recommending the biased Senate version be passed rather than the ‘clean’ version. I recommend searching for and reading David Pepper’s “Pepperspectives” on Substack for the most informative update I’ve seen to date: “Update: Action Sheet for Ohio”
Ohioan here: Ohio law has the deadline for the November ballot 90 days before the election. The Democratic convention to nominate Biden is like a week too late. The Repubican legislature wants to play "gotcha" and decided not to vote to bend the rules, as they have done before. Gov. DeWine has called a special session for Tuesday to hopefully make them see the light. The ACLU and Common Cause have said the might sue if things don't work out. Our legislature is a joke.
Mike DeWine pretends to care that Joe Biden might not be on the ballot. It comes down to putting Joe on ballot in return for the democrats to agree to banning dark money for ballot initiatives! Hypocrisy at its finest. Now I’m for banning dark money from politics but not just for ballot initiatives. End citizens United. Everyone have a great weekend!
As of this date, Biden is not yet on the Ohio ballot for the November election. The Gov strongly expressed last week his desire to have Biden in the Ohio ballot. Apparently, their Republican legislature is putting a hold on it? Maybe Joyce can straighten it out?
From what I read the Republican legislature was using an extortion ploy or perhaps quid pro quo...regardless of which term is correctly applicable... they wanted something in exchange = BS!
DeWine has used his rarely used authority as governor to call a special session of the OH legislature to fix the issue. Despite the deadline, bills were passed twice before (2012 and 2020) to extend it.
DeWine has played politics, seeming to help but recommending the biased Senate version be passed rather than the ‘clean’ version. I recommend searching for and reading David Pepper’s “Pepperspectives” on Substack for the most informative update I’ve seen to date: “Update: Action Sheet for Ohio”
I have not had a chance to visit New Hampshire yet but definitely want to. I love sunflowers and have a plant of my own, on display. The birds love them and I love the birds so everyone is happy. This Memorial Day, I honor my dad, a Holocaust victim and eventual Staff Sgt. serving in the Pacific Theater from 1941-1945. I also honor my husband, a Vietnam Vet (‘68-‘69) who fought in the Mekong Delta. Please know that the effects of war affect family members also. I know we are to honor our veterans here and abroad but I want to honor the innocents of the Israeli-Gaza conflict and the hostages who should be released.
This Memorial Day I am grateful for the brave Americans like my Dad who flew a P51 Mustang during WWII. He was so young with a wife and daughter( my older sister) who he left to enlist and do his part to fight for our freedom. I just hope that we are able to preserve this great country and all that it stands for, which includes the right to free and fair elections without fear of trickery, coercion and lies.
I wish I could, but I don’t really take any particular pleasure in some little puke getting clobbered with some rare timely Justice. Until some powerful bigshots get sent to prison I’ll remain unimpressed.
Meanwhile, we’re hurtling toward a brave New World of AI generated deep fakes, which will be entirely indistinguishable from the real thing. Unless the FCC gets its shit together on this issue, we’ll all wind up as helpless as the Trumpers…..Unable to distinguish between reality and the twilight zone.
An example of a not-so deepfake "photo", allegedly from tRump's So. Bronx "rally" on Thursday...do observe the tall palm tree in the middle of da Bronx...also the peeps round the 'cue with two hands per arm. This is the sort of rubbish that we will be inundated with up to Election Day, and probably to inauguration should tRump lose.
I lived in NH for 25 years. So proud of the quick, efficient way they handled this! Time for more states to follow! I will be honoring all my family members who protected our country, and, all those I didn't know!
My husband was a veteran; 82nd Airborne. He died in June. This is the first Memorial Weekend without him. Thank you for remembering our Vets in the midst of this political mess. Always ready.
Re: Many of you, like me, will temper your picnics, barbecues, and other celebrations this weekend with remembrances of friends and family who served our country and whose memories define our relationships with and commitment to democracy.
Arlington National Cemetary! Where patriots are buried and have emblems of belief on their headstones. We cannot allow the Christian Nationalists to turn the USA into a theocracy!
As a former resident and state worker in New Hampshire I know the folks there take politics very seriously. It is heartening to hear that individuals reported the fake calls.
BTW- Joyce thanks for sharing the New Hampshire photos. I lived there for 12 years.
Yes, but no sunflowers in New Hampshire for Memorial Day, I’m afraid.
The worst thing that could happen to us is an almost assassination.
(From my book, "Donald's Vanity Tantrums")
Reverse Presidential Evolution
“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”
George Washington
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Abraham Lincoln
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
“Now, as a nation, we don’t promise equal outcomes, but we were founded on the idea everybody should have an equal opportunity to succeed. No matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, you can make it. That’s the essential promise of America. Where you start should not determine where you end up.”
Barack Obama
“Statements are made about me by certain people in the crazy Mueller Report, in itself written by 18 angry Democrat Trump haters which are fabricated and… total bullshit.”
Donald Trump
"I hear you." Joe Biden
Brilliant…
Ralph Waldo Emerson:
"When you strike at a king, you must kill him."
The League of Women's Voters civil lawsuit & relevant articles report that the Robocalls were targeted to a number of New Hampshire Counties.
Question: Is there any particular reason for the specific New Hampshire Zip Codes targeted?
Thankyou in advance : -)
Thanks Joyce, my father flew in the B17 daylight bombing missions in 1943 before being shot down. He ended up in a prison camp. May have been a gift to our family because he lived to be 101. The Apple series “Masters of the Air” is his exact story. He was a born a democrat from birth. He could not believe what was happening either the GOP as well as anyone with integrity to the constitution. He would certainly heartily support your incredible efforts.
Thanks and beautiful pictures!
What an awesome family story. So glad he lived a long life!
Thanks!
My dad also flew a B17 on those same sacrificial, daylight missions. He volunteered right after Pearl Harbor; I was 4 months old.
I’m so glad your dad made it through okay after his ordeal.
Airmen were encouraged to smoke cigarettes for their nerves — Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!
Dad died of emphysema, decades younger than your dad. The VA in Hawaii was good to him.
Joyce, I appreciated your post. Thanks — again.
My dad was also in the Pacific during WWII, on LST 705. He also died of emphysema at 69. In writing letters to my father two decades after his death, I chastise the boy he was at war for smoking and share with him news of the future when the Surgeon General finally required warnings about the dangers of smoking. Here's to the men and women fighting for our democracy. May they rest in Peace.
LETTERS FROM INSIDE THE WHALE: RESUMING THE CONVERSATION MY FATHER AND I NEVER HAD...ABOUT HIS WAR (scheduled for release this summer)
My dad was also in the Navy in WWII. Today would have been his 100th birthday!
My father was also stationed at Pearl during WWII, flying USNavy PBM seaplanes. The free cigs he was given while in the Navy took their toll.
Congrats
We needed that this weekend, Joyce. Good news, beautiful pictures and the reminder that this weekend is about something real. My Mother, an Iowa farm girl who had never seen the ocean before, waded ashore from a stranded landing craft with a big bundle of medical supplies balanced on her head. Normandy. Day or two after D-Day, to a beach littered as far as she could see, covered with human bodies. She was twenty-three years old and her group and others spread out over the beach to triage, flag the ones who could be saved, and determine who could not. To those, she cradled their heads as she stuck the long morphine needle deep into them and she told them how they would always be loved, appreciated and remembered. She would never speack of what she saw at the front line, all the way to the arms of the Red Army soldiers waving from the other side of the Elb River, many months later.
That is what this weekend is about. Twenty three years old. They were all kids with dreams.
OMG. I cannot even imagine.
No one can. How many of our unhoused veterans, living on the street, could speak of similar horrors. Does anyone invite them to a Memorial Day BBQ and thank them?
Growing up, my father's screams would wake me up almost every night untill I went away to college. He was a Flying Tiger n China. When he got shot down in a trap on the Yangze River, his cockpit erupted in flames as he struggled to push the canopy open with his legs to bail out. He had that dream until a friend coaxed him into his writers workshop nd put it all down on paper. He was about seventy then and only well up in his ninetys, did he hve nother, shortly before he passed.
There are thousands of those stories all over the world. No one tells their stories on Memorial Day.
My friend, Maxine Hong Kingston, wrote with Vietnam veterans to give them voice. I think she may have been one of the first writers to recognize the healing power of allowing veterans to have voice and to tell their stories. My now deceased husband was an Army psychologist in Vietnam. He also woke up, screaming every night from the horrors described to him by soldiers as he had to decide whether to write papers to send one home, to administer hospitalization and medical prescriptions, or to send them back to the battle. He was in a medical unit and as such, wasn’t allowed to have a weapon. So when the bombings began, he and others were simply sitting ducks. And when he returned to the United States, arriving in San Francisco, he was spat upon. A beautiful person who could’ve avoided the war by claiming he was a pacifist (he was). We were together at an event some 30 years after he had returned from Vietnam, dropped out of med school and decided to be a business guy. When the master of ceremonies at the event asked people in the audience to stand if they had been in all the different wars when it came to Vietnam and I stood as his wife. Then he finally stood up, as everyone clapped. He told me later that was the first time he had been acknowledged for his service. I protested the war he didn’t want to go, yet did and served honorably. His healing began after that experience of recognition. Indeed we need to recognize our veterans and appreciate them. So we have these incredible men and women of honor and then we have ‘Heel Spurs, who is running as the presumed Republican nominee. Vote blue in droves to honor our loved one’s memories. I’m wondering if Nikki Haley doesn’t have something up her sleeve for an insurrection at the convention.
So many stories; so much sacrifice. How could we even think of just handing this beloved country over to the enemy?
Thank you so much for sharing this story. I have been trying to figure out somewhere I could volunteer my services. I am a writer and you made me realize I could work with veterans to help them find their voice. That is something I could give them. Thank you
Hi Alexis,
Maxine has written several books including ‘The Woman Warrior.’ I copied this from Amazon re her book that came about as the result of her holding workshops with what began as Vietnam veterans who really had no voice and many of them didn’t even want to be in the war. That pretty much described my Jim. I knew her when she was writing and conducting workshops ,collecting stories from those who had not been listened to before. This book includes the stories of veterans from Vietnam but other wars as well with stories from their spouses and children: all suffered from trauma. I copied the synopsis below from Amazon. Brava to you for caring about our veterans. You are doing a service for humanity. i’ve also thought that these kinds of workshops and meditation groups could help us all from our experience of January 6. I was caring for Jim with his second go-round of cancer at the time. He had encountered Agent Orange in Vietnam. And since I’m not part of the Trump world MAGA, I didn’t know January 6 was brewing or occurring. When I finally picked up my cell phone to check the news at 10 o’clock that night, I discovered reruns of the horrific battle at our nation’s capitol. I think I’m one of the few Americans who had no idea this horrific event was going on that day: I have no television and don’t intend to get one so because I was so busy with medical issues I was simply unaware. I didn’t know it was coming, I didn’t know when it was going on, and I learned about it after the fact, but I watched a lot of the reruns. I stayed up all night to watch the ratification of our votes. I can tell you that, even watching the reruns was traumatic. As we delved deeper into finding out about the coup planning that had been going on since November 9, 2020, the mind-boggling power grab that Trump nearly pulled off has resulted in trauma for many within our population. That Trump is now encouraging his cultists to act out in violence against neighbors, is a sign of his depravity. Trump (who paid for the x-rays of another individual with heel spurs to receive six deferments from Vietnam and thus didn’t see a war firsthand, and who has been disrespectful and demeaning to our military members and leaders) is proposing bloodshed on our soil. A number of our citizens were traumatized and still are from January 6, and I think conducting writing workshops to help them find voice to talk January 6 and the aftermath would also be powerful. It could be your next book to share with those who wish to start their own healing workshops. What we have lived through collectively, as a nation is no less traumatic than being in a war zone on foreign shores And in fact, it’s worse in a sense because we are supposed to be safe in our own homes. As I said, I don’t have television, but I think folks who are turning on their televisions on an all day basis are visiting the Jan 6 trauma no matter the ‘new Trump topic.’ I know we’re going to win by a landslide on November 5. Logic prevails. However, there’s a tone of insecurity among some of the Substack members here who talk about ‘leaving the country’ and ‘readying their passports’ and such. That’s the result of ‘fight or flight’ with no place to flee. I believe writing workshops would be powerful for we who are the survivors of January 6.
Whenever I am overwhelmed with work/projects/life events, I think about Maxine Hong Kingston as she was in the middle of writing what I believe was “the fifth book of peace.“ She was away from home I think teaching at Berkeley when the Oakland fire burned her home and she lost her only draft of that book. She had to start over. I may be getting the time-frame mixed up, but I believe that it was during this period that she began holding writing meditation workshops with Vietnam veterans. As Joyce said the other day: “never despair, never give up.”
Copied from Amazon:
‘Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace’ Maxine Hong Kingston. includes accounts from people that grew up in military families, served as medics in the thick of war, or came home to homelessness. All struggle with trauma - PTSD, substance abuse, and other consequences of war and violence. Through their extraordinary writings, readers witness worlds coming apart and being put back together again through liberating insight, community, and the deep transformation that is possible only by coming to grips with the past.
For more than 15 years, National Book Award-winning author Maxine Hong Kingston has led writing-and-meditation workshops for veterans and their families. The contributors to this volume are part of this community of writers working together to heal the trauma of war through art.
Thank you both. Yes. Recognition. Gifting respect rather than pity for another’s suffering is the ultimate act of compassion. It is often the key to allowing a broken heart to heal. 💔
Thank you Monnina
Vote blue, indeed.
1. New Hampshire has nothing on Florida. There was voter fraud in 2020, all perpetrated by Republicans. "Ghost' candidates. "Caging." Republicans voted in more than one state. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2022/05/24/central-florida-ghost-candidate-other-figures-tied-to-scandal-charged/
2. Memorial day. I am a Vietnam combat veteran. 1966-67. We took tremendous losses while exaggerating body counts. After the war, stuff like agent orange killed more of us than the VC or the NVA. Veterans have high suicide rates, often have self destructive behavior.
If I have had success, a lot of it is due to my veteran status. No thanks to Republicans who consider veterans as "takers". Republicans would sunset VA benefits. Since Ike, Biden has the best record in support of veterans. E.G.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-announce-1-million-pact-act-claims-approved-benefits-delivered-to-veterans-in-all-50-states-and-u-s-territories/
IMHO there is a trend that many veterans who supported Trump twice feel the sting "not suckers or losers."
I'm in a DNC veteran's discussion group. "Not suckers or losers" repeated daily works. 4 million people on Facebook are veterans or active duty members. 12.5 million people on Facebook are family members of a veteran or an active duty member. 242 million people on Facebook are friends with one or more veterans or active duty members. Vote Vets has hundreds of videos of veterans who voted for Trump X 2 but now oppose him. General Anderson has gone viral. https://votevets.org/videos/brig-gen-ret-steven-anderson-discusses-wapo-op-ed-regarding-new-capitol-insurrection-threat-on-cnn
If you want to help, visit military and history sites and say the magic words "not suckers or losers" and see what develops.
And register Democrats to honor service to our country.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Thank you for your service in Vietnam. And for bringing that experience to us today through fieldteam6.org and all that you share with us on this Substack. You have chosen to share. Thank you.
Daniel: After graduating from law school, I was among the last guys drafted in 1958, later commissioned at Ft. Dix after basic training and assigned to the Pentagon as a defense counsel, and then to continue my good fortune, I was extended in service during the Berlin Crisis. 3 for 1! But I learned a lot—we weren’t suckers or losers “in service” to our Nation!
Daniel, I watched General Anderson’s interview on the video you posted. I also watched General Eaton s interview on YouTube and read the WaPo OpEd by all three generals. Have any of their excellent suggestions been implemented? I have enormous respect for General Milliey and watched his post-retirement address when he gave a mini-civics lesson to the troops: ‘you serve to defend the constitution of the United States. Your loyalty is not to an individual.’ (I’m just paraphrasing from memory here and haven’t looked it up for the word for version. But that was the gist as he was trying to let military members know as he was leaving where their loyalty should be - following our constitutional framework). Plenty of these military officers have detailed the dangers they observed and averted during Trump’s presidency. I know we are going to win by a landslide. But the alarm raised by these generals, isn’t whether we’re winning or not, it’s what happens when we do, and the military fails to or refuses to recognize the win? We have right wing governors in Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma, as the generals point out, who have the national guards confused about who they serve. What if anything has been done to clarify with the National Guard commanders in those states that they really take their orders from Biden not the governor in time of national crisis? Do you have any opinion about progress that’s been made for the transition?
The generals were genuinely alarmed in 2021 and their fears can only have increased. I googled for an update from them, but I couldn’t find anything concrete. We know Biden will be the commander-in-chief. But General Eaton is concerned that troops down to the squad level don’t understand this. I think that’s a valid fear. And we are 5 months and one week away from the election. Of course we have some moving pieces: a possible conviction for Trump in New York after the election interference trial, the heat is on Alito regarding his flag flying.
It still hurts to think of how ignorant self-righteous people treated our Nam veterans when they returned. That includes some older vets who refused to recognize them as legitimate vets of foreign wars. That shocked me. It was those guys coming back from Nam who told the truth about what that war was really all about. Until they started getting attention, the media went along with the official line. Even reporters writing from Nam were ignored until the vets started speaking out.
I watched what that war did to my friends, my brother, the boys I went to high school with, the attitudes of many of my neighbors, and ultimately my country and its sense of itself. I joined the vets standing vigil in protest. I worked with Vietnam vets Against War, and invited them in groups of 3 or 4 to my house for dinner and some time spent remembering what it is like to function in regular society again. A lot of them hurt and some were broken. But for a little while they were part of a family, and I hope it helped them rebuild their lives. My indigenous relatives have created/recreated ceremonies of return and healing for vets of all backgrounds. I think we all need something like that, to relearn how to be a compassionate society again.
😢I’m so sorry, but thankful you’re able to share his horrific experiences here, as a solemn reminder of what has been sacrificed for us.
You just did, and more people should. That's what would help stop a repeat. "Never again" doesn't mean much if you don't remember the first time.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story, it is always the people from ordinary circumstance that become extraordinary. We are fortunate to have them!
Ransom - May God Bless You and Your Mother or May She Rest In Peace If No Longer With You.
Thanks to your Mom, and all those who served as she did, we have been able to grow up in a beautiful free country, able to strive to achieve our dreams.
I hope we can all preserve what she gallantly served to give to us.
I thank her, and all those who sacrificed for us.
Your story made me cry. Thank you for posting. Your mother was a true hero.
Reading this made me cry. Thank you for your story. Your mother was a true hero.
Bless your Mother. Bless all these service people. We cannot honor them enough.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863
and that government of ALL the people, by ALL the people, for ALL the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Not just all White, male people...
A few years ago some of us on substack used the phrase "We, the People, All of Us This Time."
One of the greatest speeches in Am history
I agree.
It was a powerful speech. Is it one that would be allowed to be included in kids' history books today? Somehow, I doubt it.
Such a contrast between Lincoln and Trump.
No comparison. Hard to fathom.
memorized this in 9th grade English - well over half a century ago
still stirs my heart
Even as an Aussie, I majored in high-school history in the Documents of the American Civil War (see, you culturally dominated us thoroughly by 1969, but it had been going on for a couple of decades by then!) - and we learnt the Gettysburg Address as well.
Been to the site of the Address a couple of times ... very evocative. In fact Pennsylvania is a really interesting state to wander around, for a whole lot of reasons.
My brother-in-law lives next door almost, in Northern Maryland ... late in his life he's suffering various syndromes as a result of Agent Orange - he did three tours of Vietnam as a Green Beret. He can't drink red wine, which he used to love ... sulphate intolerance apparently.
I’m so glad that Abe is being read beyond our borders. He spoke for all humanity. Sorry about the fate of your brother-in-law. We always need to remember those who serve.
Thanks, but he's actually quite chirpy about it all ... despite being a unreconstructed Nixon Republican, he's liked 'going green' - and everything he eats now he either grows himself organically or he buys it from places he trusts. And he's shifted from his Pinot Noir to vodka!
He has no regrets or resentments, and still has a number of Vietnam / Pine Gap buddies.
It warms my heart to hear that your brother-in-law has been able to cope better than most. Tell him a fellow Marylander says thanks for serving in one of the most useless wars in history. I appreciate him.
Thank you ... very warm Celeste! They live outside Westminster - Union Mills way - deep in Carroll County.
Thanks for sharing this, Ian. He was a remarkable man for any continent.
But I am looking forward to visiting Australia in the next few years - closest I've come is Indonesia (travel on a budget!) Who should I read for some primary source Australian history?
Amen
Deep thanks to you, Joyce Vance. You are seeking and teaching justice for this country and its people. Those sunflowers in the photo reminded me of Ukraine. As our souls confront this most difficult period, I am grateful for the skill, diligence, humility and humanity you bring.
A rare feel good moment
Maybe because this is a Democrat related crime the state is being aggressive. After all Governor Flip Flop Sununu was backing Flip Flop Haley.
Doesn't matter. This dimbulb needed to get popped - "pour encourager les autres." Dimbulb "Democrats" need their head handed to them (not that there's anything in there of value). What's the over/under he's a Berner?
Vraiment, et vous vous reconnaissez à titre d’imbécile. C’est bien joué! Mes félicitations.
Seriously people ? Cut it out pour favore.
Por favor, what are you finding so offensive in the repartee?
Toujours tellement plus sympa en français, n'est-ce pas ?
En effet!
A Berner? I don’t know what you’re trying to say.
I believe he is referring to Bernie Sanders. He doesn’t seem to understand the specificity of either English or French.
Blame Google Translate. I took German in High School. :-)
Please don’t try to demonstrate your knowledge of French if you have to rely on Google translation, especially on an important subject such as civil discourse. I would suggest you might want to stick to English in such a discussion.
He was a Bernie Sanders supporter?
I won't be surprised if that turns out to be the case. they're the ones who gave us Trump in 2016 when their "conscience" declared they had to write in Bernie's name, despite his pleas to them not to do it.
No, Hillary's 'deplorables' gave us tfg.
Love the brilliant woman, but/and she made a couple political mistakes / brave acts; she crossed big pharma and the health industry by passing HIPAA in 1996, and supporting ACA. (Disclosure - she dedicated my office building in Zambia in 2011. THAT wasn't a political mistake. ;))
I expect billions were spent to tarnish her over a 20 year period.
The margin of loss in Wisconsin and Michigan was 50,000. There were more Bernie write-in votes there than the margin of loss. The Berner's gave the winning margin.
this is how rumors start
(there was an idle speculation, "What's the over/under he's a Berner?")
TC, Sununu is in NH. Bernie is Senator from Vermont. Your suppositions are BS, something that you are good at. If you knew anything at all about this part of the country, you'd get that those two states are like two sparring neighbors. I live in one. Guess which.
Being from the New England state just south of New Hampshire, I'll stick up for my northern neighbor, but this did make me think of all the voter-suppression tactics being used by officials in red states. Wonder when they're going to get dealt with.
Yeah, as I read about that, and how quickly NH dealt with it, I pondered all the even more egregious voter suppression going on in certain other states that I don't even need to name, and how THEY are dealing with voter suppression tactics. Which is to say, not at all. They are going to court to protect it.
About 90% of the population of New Hampshire is white. The percentage in Vermont -- the 2nd whitest state in the union -- is similar. Black people, especially Black women, tend to vote Democratic. The Republicans in NH and VT don't have don't have anything to worry about. Yet.
Voter suppression in red states generally targets people of color and young people, and in some red states, notably those of the Deep South, the Black population is significant. Witness the gerrymandering shenanigans in Louisiana, Alabama, and North Carolina, etc.
Joyce:
What about the Republican venture to keep President off the ballot in Ohio? Why has that happened and can it be corrected since the registration date has passed. Thanks! Thanks each and every day for what you contribute to the info in our lives!
The latest on this - it appears he will be on the ballot if the governor has his way:
https://apnews.com/article/2024-election-ohio-ballot-biden-dbed6f0c5ec75d1aa7c7ef2ca81657fa
I don’t understand how or why they can do that. Keeping someone off the ballot because they’re the other party. Reminds me kind of like the Colorado decision to keep Trump off the ballot but was swatted down by the SC.
The SC would bend over backwards to keep Trump on any state's ballot.
I wonder what the odds are that they'd do the same for Biden?
DeWine has played politics, seeming to help but recommending the biased Senate version be passed rather than the ‘clean’ version. I recommend searching for and reading David Pepper’s “Pepperspectives” on Substack for the most informative update I’ve seen to date: “Update: Action Sheet for Ohio”
JA - need some clarity here. Can you expand on the information?
Ohioan here: Ohio law has the deadline for the November ballot 90 days before the election. The Democratic convention to nominate Biden is like a week too late. The Repubican legislature wants to play "gotcha" and decided not to vote to bend the rules, as they have done before. Gov. DeWine has called a special session for Tuesday to hopefully make them see the light. The ACLU and Common Cause have said the might sue if things don't work out. Our legislature is a joke.
Mike DeWine pretends to care that Joe Biden might not be on the ballot. It comes down to putting Joe on ballot in return for the democrats to agree to banning dark money for ballot initiatives! Hypocrisy at its finest. Now I’m for banning dark money from politics but not just for ballot initiatives. End citizens United. Everyone have a great weekend!
As of this date, Biden is not yet on the Ohio ballot for the November election. The Gov strongly expressed last week his desire to have Biden in the Ohio ballot. Apparently, their Republican legislature is putting a hold on it? Maybe Joyce can straighten it out?
From what I read the Republican legislature was using an extortion ploy or perhaps quid pro quo...regardless of which term is correctly applicable... they wanted something in exchange = BS!
DeWine has used his rarely used authority as governor to call a special session of the OH legislature to fix the issue. Despite the deadline, bills were passed twice before (2012 and 2020) to extend it.
DeWine has played politics, seeming to help but recommending the biased Senate version be passed rather than the ‘clean’ version. I recommend searching for and reading David Pepper’s “Pepperspectives” on Substack for the most informative update I’ve seen to date: “Update: Action Sheet for Ohio”
I have not had a chance to visit New Hampshire yet but definitely want to. I love sunflowers and have a plant of my own, on display. The birds love them and I love the birds so everyone is happy. This Memorial Day, I honor my dad, a Holocaust victim and eventual Staff Sgt. serving in the Pacific Theater from 1941-1945. I also honor my husband, a Vietnam Vet (‘68-‘69) who fought in the Mekong Delta. Please know that the effects of war affect family members also. I know we are to honor our veterans here and abroad but I want to honor the innocents of the Israeli-Gaza conflict and the hostages who should be released.
This Memorial Day I am grateful for the brave Americans like my Dad who flew a P51 Mustang during WWII. He was so young with a wife and daughter( my older sister) who he left to enlist and do his part to fight for our freedom. I just hope that we are able to preserve this great country and all that it stands for, which includes the right to free and fair elections without fear of trickery, coercion and lies.
Thanks for the good news! (And fantastic photos).
I believe in America. I believe we can and will overcome the current call to hatred, division and violence from the right.
Joyce is correct: we are in this together. So we must act together. And shore each other up. Thanks Joyce for a wonderful Substack community here. ♥️
I wish I could, but I don’t really take any particular pleasure in some little puke getting clobbered with some rare timely Justice. Until some powerful bigshots get sent to prison I’ll remain unimpressed.
Meanwhile, we’re hurtling toward a brave New World of AI generated deep fakes, which will be entirely indistinguishable from the real thing. Unless the FCC gets its shit together on this issue, we’ll all wind up as helpless as the Trumpers…..Unable to distinguish between reality and the twilight zone.
An example of a not-so deepfake "photo", allegedly from tRump's So. Bronx "rally" on Thursday...do observe the tall palm tree in the middle of da Bronx...also the peeps round the 'cue with two hands per arm. This is the sort of rubbish that we will be inundated with up to Election Day, and probably to inauguration should tRump lose.
(H/T Jeff Tiedrich)
https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1794046451544424541
William - maybe speak for yourself.
I would’ve sworn I did, but I’m no longer 100% sure.
I lived in NH for 25 years. So proud of the quick, efficient way they handled this! Time for more states to follow! I will be honoring all my family members who protected our country, and, all those I didn't know!
My husband was a veteran; 82nd Airborne. He died in June. This is the first Memorial Weekend without him. Thank you for remembering our Vets in the midst of this political mess. Always ready.
Bless his memory. Strength
Re: Many of you, like me, will temper your picnics, barbecues, and other celebrations this weekend with remembrances of friends and family who served our country and whose memories define our relationships with and commitment to democracy.
Two USAF Pilots I'll be saluting:
Captain David Lewis Bullit Curtis-Robinson
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95793719/david-lewis-curtis-robinson
Captain Ted Harduvel
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5807789/theodore-t-harduvel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterburn_(film)
Thank you for sharing Jason.
https://youtu.be/VH37fvDcqU8?feature=shared
The Story of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Thx Patti!
Arlington National Cemetary! Where patriots are buried and have emblems of belief on their headstones. We cannot allow the Christian Nationalists to turn the USA into a theocracy!
https://education.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Portals/2/Religion%20Activity%20Sheet-FINAL.pdf
"Have you noticed the different pictures on headstones in
the cemetery? Most of these symbols are what we call
emblems of belief. Emblems of belief represent what was
important to someone during their life. Some people
choose a symbol that represents their religion. Some
people choose a symbol that represents a personal belief
like the importance of peace or the power of love."
It seems to me that Kramer has been indicted for what Republicans are doing with gerrymandering🤷♀️ It’s all voter suppression in one way or another.