The Other MilBlog Conference

Last Saturday, the first MilBlog Conference was held in Washington, D.C. La Shawn Barber live-blogged the event, capturing one of its most important messages:

Think about the timelessness of what you’re writing, beyond the next election. What do you want the next generation to know about the war?

As important, is what we who served – in this war or earlier -- know about each other.

Blogger friends who did attend posted some very touching messages to the world, which answer. This is the “other” MilBlog Conference, which takes place daily among the 2 ½ million who served in Vietnam, the millions since, the near-1/2 million who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Politicians and commentators who disregard or denigrate this honorable service, these noble risks in defense of the downtroddens’ freedom and future, demonstrate to these veterans and other Americans their degeneration and reinforce our pride and comradeship.

One Vietnam-era veteran friend who attended the MilBlog Conference still chooses to remain anonymous at his blog. Hopefully, with this post, saying “I owe these men a lot, for helping me to come out of my shell,” he will. He’s traveled a long road, like so many of us, of coming to terms with then, between, and now.

Another blogging veteran friend emailed me after their meeting at the MilBlog Conference, that he wishes to all Vietnam veterans “they could feel the relief he feels. Some things are just criminal,” and respecting my other blogging friend’s privacy refers to him as “John” in a very moving post, “Stolen Honor Reclaimed”:

There are days when a man feels compelled to reflect and self-evaluate. It is usually when surrounded by peers whose respectable accomplishments and character compels one to look up far more than simply across. Saturday was one such day….

For the better part of this fine man’s life, his honor and the honor of his service to this country had been stolen from him. His honor was stolen by an entire culture and its media establishment….You see, his honor had only been stolen from view. It had always truly been there….No one, not even an entire culture, can steal a man’s character. They can only cast an illusion….

The post continues, reflecting on the transformation of much of the major media post-Vietnam:

The battle was not to be against communism, but clearly against America’s own military by the sole arbiters of information flow. The battle was engaged against John….

MilBlogs, especially those written in-theater, changed that. Permanently.

The post concludes with the essence of one of the bonds among veterans, from generation-to-generation, from war-to-war:

Growing up, my grandfather was my hero….Yet he was, I am told, human. But, to this day, I often imagine him standing behind me watching me go about my day, confronted with choices. When I do, I rarely fail. What would he think of me if I choose X? What would he think of me if I choose Y? I dare not disappoint and I still strive to please him.

While I lay no claim to superior character, I battle every day to live my life in an honorable manner. And, while I do not always win, my battle is my victory. I will never give up.

John’s battle has been his victory, too. John never gave up. John never stopped living his life honorably. He had simply been convinced to hang his head in shame without due cause.

No more. Not now. Not ever.

Welcome home, John.

I emailed him:

“John” is like many. But so am I. And so is O’Neill. And so is the very many other “types” and “reactions,” very diverse, as one should expect among what, after all, is a very large family. The coming together isn’t over policy, then or now, but of brotherhood, with jokes about our foibles, regrets for our failures, respect for our feeble humanity, but pride in being men who care and shared.

That’s where John Kerry blew it, irreparably.

The people of Knoxsville get it, as do most other Americans. CBS and Kerry, and their ilk, still don’t, and need to be repeatedly reminded.

SEE: Scott Swett, whose site WinterSoldier provided the Internet glue among veterans to tell the truth about John Kerry's 2004 "run", was at the MilBlog Conference, and also has this posted comment about the CBS attempted resurrection.

DON'T MISS: Tom Bevan's slice-n-dice of Kerry's rehashed persona.

AND ADD this in for good measure.