Military: November 2008 Archives

Veterans in The Hound's breed are ready to give the Waukegan guy who claimed he was a prisoner of war of the North Vietnamese a blanket party. These would be The Hound's great-uncle, uncle, second cousin, father and brother. If you were in the military, you know what happens when you get an invite to a blanket party.

For the unitiated, it is for those who don't want to carry their load. Or at least that is what The Hound has been told by the warriors in the clan. Most, they say, would have been Section 8s. Ron Naden would have been one, but he was never in the military.

Naden, a retired janitor at Oak Grove School in Green Oaks, since 1991 has been telling kids at the school and even teachers he was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War for more than a year after allegedly parachuting into Laos. That was one of the whoppers Naden apparently told anyone who would listen. One teacher even got a POW/MIA flag, framed it and slapped it on a wall at the school in his honor. That is so wrong, Ron.

Naden's downfall came when The News-Sun slapped him in the newspaper after he told his tale of the whale. The Internet is a tool being used by those who sacrificed to expose those who didn't. Why one would want to be known as a POW is beyond The Hound's pecan-sized brain. Has anyone checked to see if Ron's driving around on a free POW license plate? Or if he's applied for veterans' benefits?

When The Hound asked the relatives for a comment, their only reply was: "On the right, sick call!" If you know what that means, drive on warriors.

Today is Veterans Day and if you're not doing anything really important, thank a veteran. Most really don't need it. After all, they know what they've done. But a little appreciation never is underappreciated, as The Hound's mother used to point out.

You may not buy into the current mantra that troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are there protecting our freedoms, but back in 2003 quite a few of you were four-square behind the effort to invade Iraq. Those were mainly the folks who didn't have sons and daughters in harm's way or heading to a war zone.

After all, Iraq and Afghanistan are half a world away and a minority of Americans have been effected by the conflicts. Mainly those serving and their loved ones.

But that's the lot of those in the military. Usually not appreciated until they save your butt and even after they muster out.

So show a little appreciation today and if one happens to be on a nearby bar stool, buy them a round. And offer a toast to absent friends. The Hound will.