I offer thanks to all vets and apologies from a graceless and ungrateful country whose cowardly draft-dodging leader insults Gold Star families, slimes decorated war heroes as traitors, and deports them for being brown after they put their lives on the line for us.\u00a0 We do not deserve you and you do not deserve such appalling use at the hands of such a vile man and his vile cronies.<\/p>\n
Tommy
\nby Rudyard Kipling<\/p>\nI WENT into a public \u2018ouse to get a pint o\u2019 beer,
\nThe publican \u2018e up an\u2019 sez, \u201d We serve no red-coats here.\u201d
\nThe girls be\u2019ind the bar they laughed an\u2019 giggled fit to die,
\nI outs into the street again an\u2019 to myself sez I:
\nO it\u2019s Tommy this, an\u2019 Tommy that, an\u2019 \u201d Tommy, go away \u201d ;
\nBut it\u2019s \u201d Thank you, Mister Atkins,\u201d when the band begins to play
\nThe band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
\nO it\u2019s \u201d Thank you, Mister Atkins,\u201d when the band begins to play.<\/p>\nI went into a theatre as sober as could be,
\nThey gave a drunk civilian room, but \u2018adn\u2019t none for me;
\nThey sent me to the gallery or round the music-\u2018alls,
\nBut when it comes to fightin\u2019, Lord! they\u2019ll shove me in the stalls!
\nFor it\u2019s Tommy this, an\u2019 Tommy that, an\u2019 \u201d Tommy, wait outside \u201c;
\nBut it\u2019s \u201d Special train for Atkins \u201d when the trooper\u2019s on the tide
\nThe troopship\u2019s on the tide, my boys, the troopship\u2019s on the tide,
\nO it\u2019s \u201d Special train for Atkins \u201d when the trooper\u2019s on the tide.<\/p>\nYes, makin\u2019 mock o\u2019 uniforms that guard you while you sleep
\nIs cheaper than them uniforms, an\u2019 they\u2019re starvation cheap.
\nAn\u2019 hustlin\u2019 drunken soldiers when they\u2019re goin\u2019 large a bit
\nIs five times better business than paradin\u2019 in full kit.
\nThen it\u2019s Tommy this, an\u2019 Tommy that, an` Tommy, \u2018ow\u2019s yer soul? \u201d
\nBut it\u2019s \u201d Thin red line of \u2018eroes \u201d when the drums begin to roll
\nThe drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
\nO it\u2019s \u201d Thin red line of \u2018eroes, \u201d when the drums begin to roll.<\/p>\nWe aren\u2019t no thin red \u2018eroes, nor we aren\u2019t no blackguards too,
\nBut single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
\nAn\u2019 if sometimes our conduck isn\u2019t all your fancy paints,
\nWhy, single men in barricks don\u2019t grow into plaster saints;
\nWhile it\u2019s Tommy this, an\u2019 Tommy that, an` Tommy, fall be\u2019ind,\u201d
\nBut it\u2019s \u201d Please to walk in front, sir,\u201d when there\u2019s trouble in the wind
\nThere\u2019s trouble in the wind, my boys, there\u2019s trouble in the wind,
\nO it\u2019s \u201d Please to walk in front, sir,\u201d when there\u2019s trouble in the wind.<\/p>\nYou talk o\u2019 better food for us, an\u2019 schools, an\u2019 fires, an\u2019 all:
\nWe\u2019ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
\nDon\u2019t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
\nThe Widow\u2019s Uniform is not the soldier-man\u2019s disgrace.
\nFor it\u2019s Tommy this, an\u2019 Tommy that, an` Chuck him out, the brute! \u201d
\nBut it\u2019s \u201d Saviour of \u2018is country \u201d when the guns begin to shoot;
\nAn\u2019 it\u2019s Tommy this, an\u2019 Tommy that, an\u2019 anything you please;
\nAn \u2018Tommy ain\u2019t a bloomin\u2019 fool \u2013 you bet that Tommy sees!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I offer thanks to all vets and apologies from a graceless and ungrateful country whose cowardly draft-dodging leader insults Gold Star families, slimes decorated war heroes as traitors, and deports them for being brown after they put their lives on the line for us.\u00a0 We do not deserve you and you do not deserve such […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[270,275],"class_list":["post-114126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-exalted-felicitations-of-the-day","tag-support-our-troops"],"yoast_head":"\n
On This Veterans Day...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I offer thanks to all vets and apologies from a graceless and ungrateful country whose cowardly draft-dodging leader insults Gold Star families, slimes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On This Veterans Day...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I offer thanks to all vets and apologies from a graceless and ungrateful country whose cowardly draft-dodging leader insults Gold Star families, slimes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic and Enjoying It!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-11T07:37:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-11-01T03:02:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Shea\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mark Shea\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html\",\"name\":\"On This Veterans Day...\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-11T07:37:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-01T03:02:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#\/schema\/person\/c1a9ac1e557d3c626974fd6692818ad5\"},\"description\":\"I offer thanks to all vets and apologies from a graceless and ungrateful country whose cowardly draft-dodging leader insults Gold Star families, slimes\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"On This Veterans Day…\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic and Enjoying It!\",\"description\":\"Mark Shea's Blog: So That No Thought of Mine, No Matter How Stupid, Should Ever Go Unpublished Again!\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#\/schema\/person\/c1a9ac1e557d3c626974fd6692818ad5\",\"name\":\"Mark Shea\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f287911f45adc932ad24ddbae3597ed5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f287911f45adc932ad24ddbae3597ed5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mark Shea\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/author\/markshea\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"On This Veterans Day...","description":"I offer thanks to all vets and apologies from a graceless and ungrateful country whose cowardly draft-dodging leader insults Gold Star families, slimes","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"On This Veterans Day...","og_description":"I offer thanks to all vets and apologies from a graceless and ungrateful country whose cowardly draft-dodging leader insults Gold Star families, slimes","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html","og_site_name":"Catholic and Enjoying It!","article_published_time":"2019-11-11T07:37:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-11-01T03:02:44+00:00","author":"Mark Shea","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mark Shea","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html","name":"On This Veterans Day...","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-11-11T07:37:38+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-01T03:02:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#\/schema\/person\/c1a9ac1e557d3c626974fd6692818ad5"},"description":"I offer thanks to all vets and apologies from a graceless and ungrateful country whose cowardly draft-dodging leader insults Gold Star families, slimes","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2019\/11\/on-this-veterans-day.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"On This Veterans Day…"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/","name":"Catholic and Enjoying It!","description":"Mark Shea's Blog: So That No Thought of Mine, No Matter How Stupid, Should Ever Go Unpublished Again!","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#\/schema\/person\/c1a9ac1e557d3c626974fd6692818ad5","name":"Mark Shea","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f287911f45adc932ad24ddbae3597ed5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f287911f45adc932ad24ddbae3597ed5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mark Shea"},"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/author\/markshea"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114126\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}