Bear's Den: "Veteran's Day and the Coming Storm"
David Walks-As-Bear
November 07, 2009
Veteran´s Day is celebrated every November 11th, and, over the years, I´ve spoken often on this date. I spent 21-years in the Coast Guard Reserve and a couple of years in Army ROTC before this. So, over such a span, I´ve seen the good and bad within our military. Yeah, and I can note this, there is nothing worse for the country than a disenchanted ne-noth´tu (warrior). Yes´sir, and for a fact, they can have the very best m´tekwa´s (guns) and petekwal-wi´s (bullets), but I guarantee that a warrior´s ability to fight, and thus protect their nation, is not merely a magazine-like situation – uh-uh. ´Guns & Ammo´… is not what makes a warrior – no, it positively is not. It is, and has always been… ´spirit´.
The military calls this ´morale´. Yes´um, and any general from a Patton to a McChrystal knows this basic truth – morale, high or low – is the ´spirit´ of the troops. It is, and high spirit is positively vital for success in war and therefore, protection of the nation. It´s drilled into these commanders at their leadership schools from early on, and once they´re afield, and in command, they see it up-close and personal, every day. It´s always been part and parcel of wagingaf war. This morale manifests in numerous ways. In Viet Nam, for instance, the military often had a low moral because of the low appreciation of them back home. It was hard to be spit upon, by a civilian you were fighting for, because you were wearing your country´s uniform. The politics of the conflict in the states were a mess and those same politics were also funneled into the war-fighting doctrine in Southeast Asia.
But, that was then. As a nation, we realized that that was wrong and swore to never do it again. And, until this president, it hasn´t been the case, especially with the current wars stemming from the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. The nation has supported these wars and troops have been proud and able to complete their dangerous missions with high success. This, in turn, has kept the nation safe from terrorism and the spirit high within the services. But nowadays, while the citizens as a whole are supportive of the military´s efforts, this commander & chief´s handler´s… well, they are not. Yeah, and you can bet that the lowest private, seaman and airman within the armed forces have figured this out, too. Their commander and chief goes around the world talking about their country – one they´ve sworn to die for if necessary – as if it were the bad kid on the block, a naughty, selfish bully, deserving of all the bad things and ill will that others in the world say, and do, to it. Sure, and this president has been told to belay the word "terrorism", too. So, he refuses to call what a terrorist does – terrorism. Obama´s handlers don´t like that word even though… the slaughter of the innocent to make a political point is absolutely and categorically defined by this word. This pretending that something isn´t what it is… is a ´tell´ for anyone – especially a military person who deals with camouflage all of the time – know what I mean? Now, couple all of this with other things happening and one can see the dark clouds forming.
Several months back, two young soldiers were shot at a recruiting office in Arkansas by a self-proclaimed home-grown Muslim terrorist. One of them died, and the other was severely wounded. At about this same time, a well-known abortion doctor was killed by an anti-abortionist. While Obama´s handlers never had him say squat about this tragedy involving innocent soldiers killed at a local recruiting station by a domestic fundamentalist terrorist, they did have him on the air within minutes for the dead abortion doctor, saying that he would throw the full might of the federal government into making sure that nobody else makes such an attempt on so highly prized an American. So what´s that make the two soldiers, hmm? Yeah, and now, after we have won the war in Iraq, and are poised to do the same in Afghanistan, the president´s handlers are hesitant to go forward, thus making many of the military that are there fighting and dying… uncertain of what it´s all for… and spookily reminiscent of Viet Nam. Oooo yeah, and don´t think that those in the military haven´t take note of all of this. Many may feel a jabbing in their backs via a ma-anethi (knife).
Now, by the time this column is read, the recent terrorist attack at Ft. Hood in Texas will be known and have been investigated. Thus I may be wrong in my initial assessment, but… I don´t think so. A military officer, home-grown and domestic, was practicing terrorism of the fundamentalist kind in that massacre. The facts are too simple to deny. This officer was a Muslim and a shrink (psychiatrist) – not a Green Beret, trained extensively in small arms. Nah, his training didn´t deal with fast shots, precision shots and quick reloading, it dealt with ink spots and psycho analyses. In fact, the most highly skilled special ops operative would have a hard time doing this – shooting almost a whole platoon. So, positively, to kill so many, and maim so many more ´military personnel´ – people who know how to react to sudden threat – with two handguns required great planning and very, very high skill. So, no matter what the powers that be say… in their spin of this incident… it was – similar to the killing and wounding of the soldiers in Arkansas – an absolute terrorist attack upon the military. And those in all five branches of the armed forces will know this – they surely will. So, this is why I say that this Veteran´s Day… it makes this old warrior´s heart both proud and… sad. I am proud to have served, but I see, as I believe that most in the military do, that ti´ guan kwit (a storm is coming). And folks the storm that hovers is close – and looming ever more closely.
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David Walks-As-Bear is an Inter-Tribal Elder and Kispoko Shawnee Indian. He works as a private game warden and detective and is a novelist and syndicated newspaper columnist living in Northwest Michigan. Contact him at The White Lake Beacon: 231-894-5356 or visit his website at: www.Walks-As-Bear.com
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