From the nation's first parade for veterans returning from Iraq, held today in St. Louis.
Photo: @explorestlouis
Photo: @jailbaittm
Photo: @jailbaittm
Pics: St. Louis welcomes home the troops
Sat Jan 28, 2012 5:27 PM EST
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This is so wonderful! Welcome home -- and thank you!
I don't know if, perhaps, you have someone still out there, but as a family member and friend of multiple soldiers, I haven't encountered hurt feelings. Many of the people in that parade will be heading out to Afganistan again. I don't see any problem with acknowleding the accomplishments of these incredible people in the midst of the work their still doing. All the better even, for giving them encouragement that we see, we understand (as much as we can) their sacrifices, and we thank them for it. Hopefully more states will do this.
Thank you, thank you to everyone of our Soldiers who have and continue to serve for us. Should we throw a parade daily, it would never be thanks enough.
Tara - as a friend of many vets, I have met many that have hurt feeling over Veitnam.
There was no such parade during the 1970s.
Worse - the largest reduction in armed forces since WW II and the space program both occurred at the same time the war ended, so unemployment was high.
My husband is a Vietnam vet; not only were there no parades, the soldiers (today they are called warriors, back then they were called baby killers) were spat upon, cursed at and derided. I do not doubt it is hard to come home in this economy, but the guys and gals today have it so much better. Maybe we should have a national "I'm sorry" for the way the Vietnam vets were treated.
Awesome! Welcome home! So thankful for the efforts to make this event possible!
For all those folks who, like me had forgotten about St Louis, this is agreat reminder. Thank you middle America. I'm impressed and grateful for the parade and the ignition. From one of the coasts, I salute you all.
Why doesn't every city stage their own parade. Maybe the Defense Department doesn't want it, but what about the local populations? Under the auspices of the VFW, or any other organization that wants to be a sponsor, we should stage parades all over the country, maybe on Memorial Day, and celebrate the courage and sacrifice of these troops!
Welcome home! One vet to so many really deserving others! I appreciate your service!
I have goosebumps and tears in my eyes. Thank you to the people of St. Louis and God Bless You, Veterans!
Never prouder of my adopted home town. You done good.
And for our troops, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You.
Yea St. Louis!! However, Rachel mentioned on her show that St. Louis doesn't have a nearby military base. Not true. Scott AFB is 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis while Fort Leonardwood Army Base is 2 hours away.
JB...
I am watching my TIVO recording of last night's show, and I was just coming here to mention that. I got out of the Air Force at Scott in 1978, and lived the next 25 years in the Belleville-Fairview Heights-Edwardsville area.
New Yorkers wanted to have a ticker-tape parade for Veterans of the war in Iraq in the "Canyon of Heros", but the army refused saying it was inappropriate while we still had so many troops in harms way in Afghanistan. Well, we'll be ready when they are !
Dianne-663843. When the next relay-er crosses the line we can honor them at that time with another parade in their honor.
This was so amazing and nice, I'm so happy they did this for our troops. I truly hope new york and others will follow because I do believe the troops deserve such a welcome back home.
People say they do or don’t understand the Bible, but in reality you are seeing it in action right now. The reasons why people become so angry are so clear in their minds as they look for the causes of their pain and anguish. People looking for the solutions to end this pain. But one thing is clear when people are greedy, arrogant, hypocrites, deceivers, corrupt, and crave power the world can be turned upside down into darkness by dark people. Jesus sought to teach us these things and few could even comprehend it as through out our history we have been denied to learn that lesson due to people who have grown dark. Jesus is about love, caring, sharing, peace, truth, and all the other good things that come with his teachings. Jesus knew human nature very well, released us of our sins due to that human nature, and knew of our freewill to seek better ways to do things. Yes indeed, Jesus would be considered to be a Liberal Democrat today and it is almost like he is yelling from the roof tops “CAN YOU SEE ME NOW!!!”.
How great.Now about those who will never get to come home either physically because they died in bush's war or because the insanity of war made them crazy...
A soldier enlists to serve his country,it might not have been his motive but it was part of the bargain. I say this to remind myself and others that we the people are the cause of war and are responsible for its affect. We let Bush and his regime lie us into this crap and we are bloodied by it.Those who fought and killed or died did so honorably-all of them.
When will we quit acting like idiots?
I'm pleased as punch that St. Louis was the first to honor these brave men and women. I'm even more proud of these brave men and women.
Thank you, St. Louis - my beautiful hometown, for showing these brave and deserving men and women that we honor their service to our country.
Happy for the troops at home on this day. NOT happy that this war happened and continues for others.
Congratulations, and sincere and heart-felt welcome home!
Now I'm waiting for the next wave to return home.
Welcome home our heroes and a warm salute to them. They just do wht they are trained to do when they recieve their marching orders. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who did not return.
Much as I would like to keep politics away from such an event I cannot resist reminding readers that we must pay heed to lessons which have not been learned from the debacles odf Iraq & Afghanistan.
The strategy of " Perpetual War" co-authored by universally disliked neo-cons Richard Perle,David Wurmser and Douglas Feith and presented to Benjamin Nethanyahu in 1996 is still working. Readily accepted by idiots of the Bush-Cheny Realm this proposal titled " The Clean Break- A New Strategy for Security of the Realm" has been the thought behind our Iraq, Afghan follies and may yet lead us to even greater disasters in the Middle East.
On this occasion when we welcome these heroes home, we must also take a pause and see where we and these soldiers are headed next.
My brother went to bootcamp in Missouri, so I think it is awesome that St. Louis had the parade for the vets. It is nice to recognize the sacrifice those people make, whether we are out of Afghanistan or not. My brothers friends are now serving in Afghanistan and they fully support the parade celebrating Iraq's vets. GO St. Louis!
Welcome home, troops! And as more troops come home from Afghanistan...we ought to throw more "welcome home" parades. It'll mean a lot. I know. I'm a Vietnam veteran...and I got spat upon when I came home.