Veterans: Does Anyone Care? I

One of my first posts was Patriot Games: The lie of loyalty and honor:

The valor and the heroism of our soldiers does not emanate from the purpose of war.  It emanates from their own personal valor and conduct on the battlefield.  Throughout history, presidents, emperors, and kings told the soldiers and their families that their lives were tied to the nobility of the war...

...Honorable soldiers are committed to protecting their nation and their comrades on the battlefield. The noble performance of the combatant, his defense of his comrades, his compassion for civilians, and the love for his country measured by his devotion to freedom and justice is how we measure his life.

To claim that opposition to a war is tantamount to disloyalty is to misuse and exploit the very soldiers we honor.

Sunday's Wisconsin Staate Journal: Donations For Memorial Park Lag, Veterans Say :

DOUG ERICKSON  [email protected]

Leaders of a fundraising drive for a Madison veterans memorial say the response has been so disappointing that they've concluded the city isn't very supportive of veterans.

The Madison Veterans Council has worked for a year to raise $120,000 but so far has just $48,000 - and $20,000 of that came from a single Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Particularly disappointing has been the response from the business community, said Joe Ellis, chairman of the effort...

...Ellis said Madison, home to fervent protests against the Vietnam War, has a poor reputation in veterans circles.

"The feeling around the state is that Madison is not a veteran-friendly town," he said, adding that veterans groups have long sought a city park memorial and that the city's 150th birthday this year suggests a memorial is past due...

...The city will spend about $90,000 for infrastructure. The veterans group wants to raise an additional $120,000 for a Veterans Plaza with a court of flags, a bandstand, a walkway, a seating area and fountains.

Roger Boeker is president of the Madison Veterans Council, an organization of 41 veterans groups...:"I feel as if Madison has long been a city that confused the wars and the warriors," he said.

Better than most Former Mayor Paul Soglin, arrested twice while protesting the Vietnam War, said both opponents and supporters wrongly viewed returning soldiers as monolithically supporting the war.

"The war created a divide between those who went and those who didn't, and it's a divide that exists today," he said.

Yet Soglin thinks Madison does as good of a job or better than most communities in supporting veterans. Other parts of the country might be better at flag waving, Soglin said, but Madison invested in communitywide programs that helped veterans find jobs, treat alcoholism and deal with trauma. Vets House, established in the city in 1973, was another initiative to help veterans, he said....

Soglin said he's perplexed as to why the veterans are having trouble raising $120,000 in a city the size of Madison.

"It seems to me this ought to be accomplished in three to six months," he said. "On one hand, I'm wondering if they're aware of the best ways to raise money in Madison. But for this kind of purpose, they shouldn't need all this sophisticated structure."

To donate Contributions for Madison's Veterans Memorial Park can be sent to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7591, 301 Cottage Grove Road, Madison, WI 53716.