In reading the Washington Post piece linked by Glenn Reynolds, I made a couple of observations. First off, it’s a great Veteran’s Day article written by Army Major Elizabeth Robbins, a soldier serving in Iraq. She writes how they receive a great deal of support from American people, so much so that it amazes members of other coalition forces. Robbins writes that Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, chief of the general staff of the British army said,

“In America, the appreciation for the armed forces is outstanding, and, frankly, I would like to be able to mirror some of that here. In the States, many companies offer military discounts for serving soldiers, sports teams give out free tickets, people in the street shake the hand of men in uniform.”

Amazing. My second observation is the juxtaposition of the editorial disclaimer at the bottom of the article. It’s boilerplate, I know, but it causes the reader, at least this one, to pause. Robbins’ last paragraph is two sentences long and reads,

So thank you from us future veterans. Thanks for saying thanks.

Immediately below that is something that, though quite unintentional, brings to harsh, glaring light, the disparity of attitude and culture in this country. Just this once, it would have been appropriate for the Post to not print this:

Elizabeth L. Robbins, an Army major, deployed in May in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The views expressed here are her own.

To quote the philosopher, Homer, “D’oh!”

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