This week: Veterans and Getting It Right. Edited by: Fyn-elf  
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As a former Airman First Class in the United States Air Force, like many veterans in America, my military experience played an important part in instilling in me a sense of character and discipline that has served me throughout my life. ~~Chuck Norris
Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. ~~Douglas MacArthur
There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism. ~~Alexander Hamilton
The U.S. Military is us. There is no truer representation of a country than the people that it sends into the field to fight for it. The people who wear our uniform and carry our rifles into combat are our kids, and our job is to support them, because they're protecting us. ~~Tom Clancy
I am not a hero but the brave men who died deserved this honor. ~~Ira Hayes
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I finally received my Vietnam Era Veteran Pin. I've been waiting for years. I didn't fight in Vietnam, but I was active duty during that time. Thing is, you never knew from day to day if you would/could be three days down the line. Veteran's day (as I write this) is tomorrow. I'm the great-great-granddaughter of a Civil War vet, great-granddaughter of a Spanish-American War vet, the granddaughter of a World War I vet, the daughter of a World War II vet, an Army vet myself, the mom of a Gulf War vet and the grandmother of someone seriously thinking about joining the military. It runs in our blood. It's a big deal. Veteran's Day is a big deal. Having served is a big deal: both an honor and a privilege.
When I raised my hand and took the oath all those many years ago, it did not have an expiration date. There is an instant camaraderie amongst veterans because you served. You 'get' things no one else will. Or can. It is just the way it is. You can see it in folks standing around - in the way in which they unconsciously stand. You intrinsically know who the vets are. We know what a P-38 is. Some of us have issues with fireworks or low flying planes (me, specifically) or a thousand other 'little' things most wouldn't even notice. You gauge your trust of someone by whether or not you'd want them to 'have your back.' There are looks or expression changes and you know and understand. You comprehend that, as the saying goes, 'they also serve who stay behind and wait.' You've left loved ones behind or lost them to the fogs of war. You know there's no shame in tears, in bloodied-knuckled pain or worn thin letters.
Writing about war, the brotherhood, the blood and guts and the missing or empty boots is a big deal It is important to get it right, get it real. The details, the minutia, the terms all can either make a story or have it fall flat because of the lack of either experience or real, in-depth research. In the military, every single job has a wide-ranging impact on everyone else down the line. My job was dealing with highly secure flight maps. There are maps. And then, there are maps. Exactly the same yet totally different. A wrong map could lead to disaster. Nowadays, things are so totally computerized, but back in the day, they weren't. The guy ordering C-rats made the difference between food or going hungry for three days. Paper shufflers could make life bearable or a total 'snafu.' There were no unimportant jobs, there were no unimportant people. We were all part of a well-oiled machine that got the job done. Things went wrong, things got fixed. Lives depended upon people being reliable when circumstances were not. There were people who were excellent at what they did and there were always a few who were not. There were arrogant jerks and humble heroes. There were the terrified and the stoic. A size-twelve boot firmly implanted in a back-side kicks even the recalcitrant out of a perfectly good chopper where you prayed you'd packed your chute right. If you didn't, there was no one else to blame. You always had to trust you did the best you possibly could in less than stellar situations, and the rest of the crew did as well.
I never fully understood trust (as a concept) until I learned trust in the Army. Duty is no longer just a word. There is such truth in the saying by Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” And you did what had to be done.
This is why, when writing about things military, it is an absolute to get it right.
To any and all veterans in WDC-Land - I thank you for your service! Know you are appreciated. |
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If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. 1st Pl Win Quotation Inspi
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I'd thought to write this week's newsletter on WDC-ers favorite books. But so few people responded that I couldn't do it.
BIG BAD WOLF is Merry  had a list!
Redwall series by Brian Jacques - series stole me in the 3rd grade, and I haven't been able to leave Mossflower.
Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini - Me and the author are the same age, and got the first book when it came out - Eragon.
The Dragon Knight series by Gordon R. Dickson - Modern guy in an alternative Medieval world that has magic and talking wolves, sign me up.
Discworld series by Terry Prachett - turns things up on your head.
Man-Kzin Wars by Larry Niven (et. all) - It's quite the war series.
Villains By Necessity by Eve Forward - Nothing like rooting for the bad guys for once.
Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evonovich - It's a comedic detective series, alright.
And still more, but I'll run out of space listing them.
ForeverDreamer  adds: Some of your favorites are mine, too. Since you listed several dystopias, I would suggest A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. It isn't for the faint of heart, but I love it.
mamio says: I also am struggling to find my way through reading works of other authors! Thank you for this encouragement!
Santeven Quokklaus writes: It stuns me how many people think they can write something when they do not read. That would be like wanting to be a NASCAR driver but not driving anywhere anytime. I think there is a sort of laziness in some people. They don't care about spelling, punctuation, grammar (that's for editors); they don't care about reading (I write, not read); they don't care about quality control (self-publishing means I can publish whatever I write).
Yes, this is a grumpy old man talking, but if you don't have the basics, if you don't see what others are doing, how can you improve? That would be like some-one deciding to learn guitar, but never listening to music.
It's an insanity, and I have just ranted like the old curmudgeon I am.
:)
hbk16 comments: Books constitute an intellectual wealth. It teach someone the different ways of both writing and thinking. The book accessibility renders the reading
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For Authors: November 13, 2019 Issue [#9865]
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