Veterans Day in America

One thing that the rest of the world must learn from Americans is the way they respect their soldiers and celebrate their leaders. Today is veterans day and every news channel, media outlet, school, college, government department, and private entity is talking about it. There have been thousands of events across the country to honor veterans and thank their families. This kind of adulation and respect naturally attracts young men and women of this country to want to serve their nation and make it great.

Today I was listening to a radio program on KERA in which a veteran was being interviewed. His only message to all the citizens was not to just thank a veteran today but to ask them for a story. In short the speaker urged citizens to make a veterans day by asking them to tell a story of their service days.

Anyone will feel good when others show an interest in their life and story. Especially so if one has fought a war and placed their health and life at risk. I wish every nation in the world celebrated their fighting soldiers the same way.

Kaufmann - a quaint little wild west town

Yesterday we visited Kaufmann, a city of about 8,000 people located way south-east of Dallas. The reason for our visit was quite mundane, we wanted to check out an estate sale and also to take a look at semi-urban Texas landscape. Kaufman is characterized by vast open spaces with tiny residential communities dotted here and there. This city presents a completely different picture of America, no high rise buildings, narrow and mostly pot-holed streets, bushes and weeds in most backyards, etc. Kaufman could easily pass off as a small town, say Mysore (Karnataka) in India, if not for its sparse human population and heavy vehicle density. The few things that remind us that we are in the US is the fact that most houses are in good shape, very few people on the streets and every home has at least one truck and a car.

One of the pleasant experiences we had in this small town was meeting with a fellow South Asian... not from India, but from Pakistan. After coming to US, I have interacted with several people of Pakistani origin, but none have ever been as friendly or humble as this young chap in a convenience store in Kaufmann.

Wanting to explore this small town we decided to drive around and see what Kaufman has to offer and chanced upon a quaint war memorial. Christened the Kaufman County Veterans' Memorial Park, this memorial celebrates the sacrifices of American soldiers in various wars the nation has fought. A list wars given in the memorial's website includes the following wars:

• Spanish American War April 25, 1898 - December 10, 1898
• World War 1 April 6, 1917 - November 11, 1918
• World War 2 December 7, 1941 - December 31, 1946
• Vietnam War December22, 1982 - May 7, 1975
• Granada & Panama August 24, 1982 - July 31, 1984
• Desert Storm December 20, 1989 - January 31, 1990
• Iraq April 17, 2003 - Present

The memorial project has cost the city of Kaufman over $250,000 and there are other maintenance and enhancement expenses in the future. One of the features of memorials and public monuments in the US, that continue to impress me is their careful conceptualization and execution, which evoke pride, patriotism and exude a sense of aesthetics. For example this veteran's memorial is shaped like a five edged star, the symbol of Texas, has the American eagle bust in the epicenter of the monument and of course the flags of Texas, US, Kaufman, etc fly proudly in the monument. Of course there is a Patton Tank placed at the extreme end of the monument to complete the effect.

I firmly believe that we Indians have so much history in our country that we have begun to forget its value. We should learn from the west in this regard and start celebrating our war heroes and remembering that our freedom was won at a great cost and we need to honor those who sacrificed for the sake of the country.

General Patton Memorial Museum, California

During our recent road trip to California, I chanced upon this unique Museum on the freeway. Sited in Chiriaco Summit, California this museum has been put in place in association with the bureau of land management. The General Patton Memorial Museum was established in 1988 to honor all Vietnam War veterans. This unique monument serves multiple purposes for the US government. First the monument sited in the middle of nowhere amidst vast waste lands of US serves as a national tourist attraction and attracts people to stop in this small town. Otherwise nobody would have bothered to stop and take a look at the arid countryside here.

The General Patton Museum

Second since the museum celebrated veterans, the monument holds a special place in the hearts of those with families and friends in the forces. And most of all through this token gesture the government has ensured that war heroes are recognised and honored. This instills a sense of national in the people who visit the place. And every year on the Veterans Day the museum has a big celebration. Entry is free for all veterans that day and all outside entertainment is free for everyone.

Another view of the exterior of the museum

The museum contains two vast indoor exhibit rooms with memorabilia. One dedicated to the US Civil War and the other to the Iraqi Freedom (of course I'd call it US Destruction of Iraq). The museum's media room also shows a 26 minute movie which talks about desert training, General Patton’s life and WWII. Then there is the tank yard outdoor exhibit which displays several tanks and heavy artillary equipment. Notable among the exhibits are a Sherman Tank and Stuart Tank from WWII. And of course in line with US' commerce orientation the museum has a gift shop which sells books on Patton, T-shirts, caps, hats, coins, toys, magnets, patches, pins and more... all made in China.

Patton Tanks on display

The Museum is open on all days between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm; entry costs $4 (12-61 yrs) $3.50 (62 yrs and up). Military personnel in uniform are allowed inside free.

Who is General Patton?
Major General George Smith Patton Jr. U.S. Army, found the inhospitable landscape of Mohave desert enchanting and in early March of 1942 he surveyed the area and decided to establish a training center for desert warfare here. The Army’s rationale was that American forces soon would be required to fight the German enemy in North Africa.

So, Patton, enamored with the area’s endless terrain and superb suitability for armored combat training, established the Desert Training Center in late March, 1942, making his headquarters at Camp Young, near Shavers Summit, (now known as Chiriaco Summit), which today is the locale of the Patton Museum.

The Camps trained nearly 1 million American servicemen and women and was the world's largest military installation in both size and population. But two years after commissioning, on April 30, 1944, camps were ordered to be abandoned. But the legacy of General George S. Patton remains, as manifested in the General George S. Patton Memorial Museum.

Stressbusting initiative for US war veterans

A few days earlier I had blogged about how an increasing number of American soldiers are buckling under pressure of war and loneliness and committing suicide. Today I came across this wonderful initiative to help US veterans deal with post-traumstic stress disorder. Titled as Project Odyssey, organised by the Wounded Warrior Project in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs and other similar organisations, the aim is to get veterans together in different kinds of activities and make them come out of their post-war trauma.

Fighting a war is not like enjoying a holiday and especially so for people from America who rarely see poverty and a scramble for basic existence and survival. Their come face to face with something worse than their worst nightmares when they get deployed in war torn areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Under the project selected veterans are brought together in exotic locales and what ensues is activities which create bonding among people who have been through and experienced same situations.

Recently 21 veterans from across the US were brought together for a small camp and bonding outing at the Wildcatter Ranch in Texas. Sited about 120 miles northwest of Dallas, Wildcatter Ranch is an upscale resort set amidst picture postcard settings above Brazos river in Young County.

This is a testimony of the common people's love for their forces. The ranch's owners, Anne and Mike Skipper, shutdown their entire business for four days to cater to the visitors. Having heard about Project Odyssey from a friend, Skipper, a theatrical producer, did some research about it. When the couple learnt about the initiative, they voluntarily offered their property and staff for the programme which included activities such as riding a cow, skeet shooting, games such as "blindfold maze" among others.

I believe that such programmes go a long way in making sure that war veterans are cared for and start leading a normal life. All 21 participants of this project had suffered from post-war trauma, depression, Isolation, post-traumatic stress and one of them had not been out of his apartment in six months.

As far as I know there are no such programmes from the government or NGOs in India. The Sainik resettlement board of the army helps ex-servicemen in finding jobs in civil life and settle into life. But nothing is done to address their emotional trauma, stress etc. Their families who don't know anything about the stress they face on the border or fighting insurgents in Jammu and Kashmir, North eastern states etc. It is high time that we started something for our soldiers too.

Read more about the Project Odyssey
Video of Project Odyssey