>>>All that respect for and waving of flags makes me feel a bit uneasy...
>
>I used to find it refreshing to see people reminding themselves every day about their nation and how proud they were to be part of it. Yes it's groupthink, but surely it's positive for morale and helps keep things in perspective that no matter your trials and tribulations, you're still part of the mightiest Republic there ever was, with plenty to be thankful for. But now it's being politicized and made into another stinker. Oh, well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDQvYE8sbc8

I had the honor and privilege of being trained by guys like these and serving with them.
One Master Sergeant in our unit had survived the Bataan death march and no one walked straighter than he did when he was in uniform.
When these guys talked, we listened.
If you notice the patches on their sleeves, these guys were with the 101 Airborne division - the Screaming Eagles - also known as The Battered Bastards of Bastogne.
That division also served in Korea and Vietnam, where it took heavy casualties on both fronts.
I was privileged to have been temporarily assigned with that division for a while during the Korean war.
They were some tough dudes.
If you don't know who Jody is - well maybe you ought to find out. A lot of good people spent a lot of time teaching us how to sing about him.

The daily news focuses on politics, but these guys got us where we are and I'll never stop being proud of them.

When someone kneels for the national anthem and drives away in a Maseratti, I send my apologies to these men.

nDQvYE8sbc8