Glen wrote:
A friend sent this to me, and I wanted to pass it along. To all my
fellow woodworkers who are veterans, THANK YOU.

Glen

Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they
do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator
Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive
impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation
of why men and women in the armed services do what they do for a living.
This is a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never
served think of
our military.

JOHN GLENN ON THE SENATE FLOOR Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:13

Senator Howard Metzenbaum to Senator Glenn: "How can you run for
Senate when you've never held a real job?"

Senator Glenn: "I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps.
I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions & my plane was hit by
anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program.

It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was
not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash
receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with me .. as I went the other
day... to a veteran's hospital and look at those men - with their
mangled bodies - in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job! You
go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the
widows and orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee... and you
look those kids in
the eye and tell them that their Dads didn't hold a job. You go with
me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I
have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those
waving flags.

You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell ME
that those people didn't have a job? I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum;
you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that
there were some men - SOME MEN - who held REAL jobs. And they required a
dedication to a purpose - and a love of country and a dedication to duty
- that was more important
than life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made this country
possible.

I HAVE held a job, Howard! What about you?"

For those who don't remember - During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was
an attorney representing the Communist Party in the USA.

If you can read this, thank a teacher.... If you are reading it in
English thank a Veteran. Please keep this circulating.

Sigh. Both guys had long careers, and this particular response took
place in 1974, not 2004. It did happen. It happened 30+ years ago, not
last year. It has absolutely nothing to do with Iraq and today's vets.

As a former Marine who also taught school for a very brief period, what
I'd like more than thanks is a reduction in the polarization, and
negative campaigning, in this country. Simply put: let the politicians,
including the draft dodger now using the Oval Office, tell the truth on
a daily basis.