I can't tell if you're being amusing/ironic, or whether the above was an actual thing. If real, would you say where the hell that is/was?
Ken Burns Vietnam War Documentary on PBS
- Thread starter mso489
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
- Status
I am appalled at what I see now, in High School I helped my father recover bodies from Hurricane Audry, in S Asia at almost 18, wounded came back home, no arm around my shoulder saying how do you feel, was I special, NO, grew up on a farm, saw life and death issues, what has gone wrong, closer to home I have a Grandson who is incapable of anything that requires maturity. Are we to blame, probably , we've not given them the responabilty that was given to us growing up. I was driving a Big Combine from field to field at 12. It's a sad situation when I see High Schools tell their students there is a grief councilor for every little bump in the road. Am I old Fashioned, you bet I am and proud of it, and by the way, I smoke a Pipe, get over it.
John, yes, counseling rooms and comfort places were available all over Las Vegas and at UNLV. It was unbelievable.
As for the show, I have an uncle who served and unfortunately, mentally, never came back. Maybe the counseling offer was for him and his fellow service members.
As for the show, I have an uncle who served and unfortunately, mentally, never came back. Maybe the counseling offer was for him and his fellow service members.
I know more than one or two tough, old vets who are a bit more fragile mentally than you are. They got broken there and I feel for them. I won't tell you what I did for a when when suddenly confronted with red tail lights suddenly streaming across my vision at an overpass shortly after my return. A lot of us carry memories that, try as we might to keep them under control, surface at times. Some are war related and others police career related.
When we damn a whole generation, we do not honor those who go willingly to serve. Much as my generation is remembered as "flower children" and anti-war. A lot of my generation went when called, some volunteered and many were broken in different ways. A lot of today's kids, the one's being maligned today as soft, will go in harm's way willingly and proudly. Let's not lump them all together.
When we damn a whole generation, we do not honor those who go willingly to serve. Much as my generation is remembered as "flower children" and anti-war. A lot of my generation went when called, some volunteered and many were broken in different ways. A lot of today's kids, the one's being maligned today as soft, will go in harm's way willingly and proudly. Let's not lump them all together.
I think the PTSD and other counseling is a good idea. What put me off, was the two consoling fellows who put out the word on it. I'd have preferred just a brief, not dramatized statement, and the toll-free number writ large and held for a sufficient time to be written down. It didn't feel like they'd put themselves in the viewer's or vet's place. Not splitting hairs, but if you're going to do it, be effective. I worked as a vet counselor for about three and a half years between grad school and National Institutes of Health.
Oops ... quick disclaimer: I was not a psychological counselor, not trained for that. The VA trained me as a benefits counselor at one of several training centers, this one at Carrolton Ga. on a campus. The trainers did a good job, packed us full of info, then sent us out, associated with the regional offices, to assist vets with education, medical, home loan, and other benefits. My main station was N.C. State University, though I made weekly/monthly stops at three or four other smaller schools. The single worst mistake made by the vets themselves was in not retaining their VA file number, trying to use the Social Security number instead. That gummed things up for up to a month. Changing schools often caused some delay. I'd pester the regional office, and usually we'd get guys paid, or get some kind of advance, fairly quickly. It's all different now -- different education package, etc. For a while, I felt we did a lot of good, kept guys in school, kept some marriages together. When the program was phased out, as the enrollment decreased after Vietnam, I bailed out to take a different, better job for me, instead of going into the regional office to push folders. Couldn't do that. Today, I believe the Social Sec numbers are used as the VA number, so that obstacle is gone. With VA, I joined the middle class; I got married, paid for the reception dinner, a diamond and a honeymoon, and moved into an apartment with a kitchen. Big life advances.
Warren, that is great to say. But it doesn't detract from the systematic cultural push to weaken our children that I am watching happen all around me as I progress through the process to become an educator.
If you know whole giant swaths of kids who have escaped it, I am happy for you. And you ARE correct that many kids today are still slipping through this trend. But if you think I am wrong, you should come tour high schools and university campuses and see it first hand.
And yes, your generation had flower power. From what I remember that never exceeded 10% of the population. I am not talking about hippies, but something much more insidious and farther reaching.
Making it so our future generations cannot handle simple things like rejection, elections, and other key experiences in life will make them much more malleable in the future for political and social manipulation.
Vietnam was a war I would have been proud to fight in. Alas, born too late...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpVUMuLLqug
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpVUMuLLqug
Schools can do what they do because parents have abrogated their responsibilities. I simply cannot agree that things are as bad as the TV and other media tells us they are they are. It tickles me, in a sad way, that we buy into the media when they support our thinking and curse them when they don't. We remember the studies which shore up our beliefs and decry those which are in opposition.
I spent time every evening with my child correcting much of what she was told in school. It took time and effort even back in the 70s and 80s. Many parents think all education and social training should be left to the schools. I realized, and many other parents, even today, understand that they must balance the schools with "home schooling" as it were. If critical thinking isn't taught at home, chances are your kid will simply accept whatever they are taught in school. So for many of these kids we see on TV having fun and acting out, don't blame the schools... the blame rests with the parents. Trust me, the schools are going to change, some are already, as caring and interested parents start to withhold tuition. Alumnae are already beginning to squeeze some of the more liberal schools. Harvard recently had their peepees soundly spanked and their alumnae are predominantly liberal..
I remember reading that Mrs Clinton was going to win by a landslide. Then there were the studies, many years ago, which reported earth was the center of the universe. Don't forget those reports that man was not meant to fly or the Panama Canal was just a dream and couldn't be built. The pendulum swings, a much different police response in St. Louis than the earlier riots.
I have friends whose kids or now grandchildren are reside on quiet campuses, attend classes and wear their ROTC uniforms proudly as they try to get laid.
I don't tour schools and universities but, I do know the USMA, USNA and the other academies still turn out fighting men and women. I bet Texas A&M hasn't totally succumbed to "politically correctness." VMI?
I'm sorry, I simply do not buy into the "Chicken Little" philosophy of life. While I'm not happy with many things that are occurring these days, the situation is certainly not as dire as some would like or fear.
That 70%, if true, will have a loving, deeply caring, DI assigned to gently correct any deficiencies at "basic." The services become much less picky when there's a shortage of recruits and a war going on.
No, the sky isn't falling, it's just a few acoustic tiles here and there. And, in life, there is always the collision of differing tenets and beliefs. That is what makes living interesting, challenging and yes, enriching.
I spent time every evening with my child correcting much of what she was told in school. It took time and effort even back in the 70s and 80s. Many parents think all education and social training should be left to the schools. I realized, and many other parents, even today, understand that they must balance the schools with "home schooling" as it were. If critical thinking isn't taught at home, chances are your kid will simply accept whatever they are taught in school. So for many of these kids we see on TV having fun and acting out, don't blame the schools... the blame rests with the parents. Trust me, the schools are going to change, some are already, as caring and interested parents start to withhold tuition. Alumnae are already beginning to squeeze some of the more liberal schools. Harvard recently had their peepees soundly spanked and their alumnae are predominantly liberal..
I remember reading that Mrs Clinton was going to win by a landslide. Then there were the studies, many years ago, which reported earth was the center of the universe. Don't forget those reports that man was not meant to fly or the Panama Canal was just a dream and couldn't be built. The pendulum swings, a much different police response in St. Louis than the earlier riots.
I have friends whose kids or now grandchildren are reside on quiet campuses, attend classes and wear their ROTC uniforms proudly as they try to get laid.
I don't tour schools and universities but, I do know the USMA, USNA and the other academies still turn out fighting men and women. I bet Texas A&M hasn't totally succumbed to "politically correctness." VMI?
I'm sorry, I simply do not buy into the "Chicken Little" philosophy of life. While I'm not happy with many things that are occurring these days, the situation is certainly not as dire as some would like or fear.
That 70%, if true, will have a loving, deeply caring, DI assigned to gently correct any deficiencies at "basic." The services become much less picky when there's a shortage of recruits and a war going on.
No, the sky isn't falling, it's just a few acoustic tiles here and there. And, in life, there is always the collision of differing tenets and beliefs. That is what makes living interesting, challenging and yes, enriching.
It is almost unbelievable, the amount of time I have had to spend deprogramming my kids from the social engineering they get indoctrinated with in the public schools. One is off to college, but the other is still in high school.
The up side is that I get to spend time teaching them to research issues from as many sources and points of view as possible before reaching a conclusion, and the difference between documented facts and dogmatic opinions.
The up side is that I get to spend time teaching them to research issues from as many sources and points of view as possible before reaching a conclusion, and the difference between documented facts and dogmatic opinions.
I like your parenting style. You are a good and loving parent. I do believe it is harder to raise a well rounded, self-sufficient child in today's world, there are so many assets which can easily become negatives without responsible parents. Good on you!
My wife's niece came to live with us while in high school and this is exactly what we ended up doing. Very much brought us together.
I appreciate that, Warren, I truly do. I have to admit, to their credit, I had good clay to work with! They're doing well; my son is in his sophomore year of college on an academic scholarship from the school and an ROTC scholarship from Uncle Sam. My daughter is in her junior year of high school with good grades while doing JROTC, music, and sports. I'm very proud of them for taking my rule to heart- work hard to help yourself and I'll help you as much as I can. Slack off and quit trying, you're on your own.
A few thoughts:
Ken Burns is a pinhead who is in the business of selling movies not presenting facts.
Vietnam was a disaster from start to finish.
I am proud of all my countrymen who served their nation, especially when that service has come when it was "unpopular" and I move through my life with the clear understanding that it is through their service and sacrifice that we remain free today.
As a nation, our treatment of veterans has much room for improvement.
Presenting the truth of history and the realities of the world to our children is a parent's duty and no parent should leave that vital education to the school system or the government.
As Warren pointed out, things may not be as we would like them to be, but, the sky is a long way from falling. If you're not sure, take a long stare at Venezuela. That's what things look like when the sky is falling. Life in America is never dull but it is always rewarding.
Cheers,
Chili
Ken Burns is a pinhead who is in the business of selling movies not presenting facts.
Vietnam was a disaster from start to finish.
I am proud of all my countrymen who served their nation, especially when that service has come when it was "unpopular" and I move through my life with the clear understanding that it is through their service and sacrifice that we remain free today.
As a nation, our treatment of veterans has much room for improvement.
Presenting the truth of history and the realities of the world to our children is a parent's duty and no parent should leave that vital education to the school system or the government.
As Warren pointed out, things may not be as we would like them to be, but, the sky is a long way from falling. If you're not sure, take a long stare at Venezuela. That's what things look like when the sky is falling. Life in America is never dull but it is always rewarding.
Cheers,
Chili
One more thing...
I forgot to mention that I admire Ken Burns skills as a documentarian immensely. But I'll give the Vietnam outing a pass. He went down the rabbit hole several times with the Civil War piece but he still deserves praise for rekindling interest in one of our nation's saddest experiences.
His documentary on baseball delighted me but I'm just a fan and not a student of the game. There could've been errors in his work but I'm not knowledgeable enough to weigh in. (I'll also say the same about his documentary on American jazz.)
But, Vietnam? I followed the war daily as a child and into my high school years so I think I'll keep my own counsel.
Fnord
I forgot to mention that I admire Ken Burns skills as a documentarian immensely. But I'll give the Vietnam outing a pass. He went down the rabbit hole several times with the Civil War piece but he still deserves praise for rekindling interest in one of our nation's saddest experiences.
His documentary on baseball delighted me but I'm just a fan and not a student of the game. There could've been errors in his work but I'm not knowledgeable enough to weigh in. (I'll also say the same about his documentary on American jazz.)
But, Vietnam? I followed the war daily as a child and into my high school years so I think I'll keep my own counsel.
Fnord
In several states now if not most (it may be federal) the law says if a HS student doesn't have enough credits to graduate with their class then they can continue attending to complete those credits until they reach their 20th birthday. In practice what happens with these "at risk kids" is the spring before they will reach their 20th birthday, if they haven't completed their credits they are given a GED & allowed to graduate as part of the "No child left behind" mantra.
- Status