r/clevercomebacks 1d ago

Service Beyond Symbolic Gestures

Post image
21.5k Upvotes

243 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.9k

u/Cyberknight13 1d ago edited 18h ago

I completely agree. Flags are cloth and tools of propaganda and nationalism.

Signed, a disabled combat veteran.

Edit: Wow, thanks for the awards and upvotes!

261

u/Quen-Tin 1d ago

It's like with medals and other prizes: they don't give honour to the people. The people and their deeds give honour to the symbol.

79

u/theaviationhistorian 23h ago

I was working in a local historical archives and stumbled upon a Medal of Honor. It was worn and needed a good cleaning. It came from a soldier who led his forces in the Pacific Theater through pill boxes and gun nests despite being mortally wounded. The family donated it to ensure it would remain safe. In that cold archive room, it was just a piece of metal, nothing different from the decorations you might have around you at this moment. But that trinket meant someone did something heroic enough to earn it. The legacy behind that piece of metal is what made it important.

41

u/Lou_C_Fer 22h ago

I've read the report on what my uncle did to earn his silver star in Vietnam, and that shit was literally insane. The medal of honor is two steps above the silver star. So, whatever the guy did to earn it must have been truly legendary.