The American Marshmallow Farmer: Asking, What is Water

By Steven Wayne Davis

There is a paradox in the saying, "Thank you for your service." Many find pride in saying it. However, it comes off to the many who have served as hollow, not really meaning anything. Over 453,000 veterans across the United States are currently unemployed or greatly underemployed, and over 6,200 veterans commit suicide every year because of hopelessness and depression. This book answers some of the ageless questions about our veterans' struggles and identifies some of the causes of these deeply rooted issues.

Troubles with adapting to civilian life, in combination with health issues, leads to diminished emotional stability, sensations of helplessness, and feelings of hopelessness. Many commit suicides due to struggles adapting back into society. This is not a new conflict or a new issue. Stereotyping of veterans, and labeling veterans, is an age-old dilemma, stretching back to before the Roman empire was started. But it does not have to be like this.

There is a way to prevent this and lend a hand to those who served our great country. This book shares must-read information that addresses our failure to support or troops after returning home and starts the necessary conversation to make changes. It's time we go beyond exclusively recognizing the veterans of World War 2 as the "greatest generation". It's time to recognize all who volunteer to serve as being the greatest of every generation!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098373009

Book preview

cover.jpg

Spongi Pinus Quinquegoliae Thornicus. Commonlly called The American Marshmallow Tree. This tree is a native eastern marshmallow thorn tree which is a rapidly-growing long needled evergreen, a conifer, the semperviren needles growing and maintained throughout the year, (thus the ‘evergreen’ in the name). this species of tree if found mainly throughout North America, and sometimes in other parts of the world. The long needles appear, greenish, bluish green in color and change every year as a young sapling, growing through different stages of early growth, lasting multiple seasons as the tree matures. The needles having a lower amount of photosynthesis due to their shape while the leaves present an increased amount of growth while they are open. Amazingly the deciduous thorn stems/branches do lose their small leaves on these trees in order to season throughout the years of the trees life. The pollen cones develop from buds which flower prior to unripe growth developing. Similar to white pine, or mast pines, they grow very tall, (the original masts of the USS Constitution were white pine trees). Both needles and leaves dropping present a higher than average carbon-nitrogen ratio, which perpetuates more marshmallow seedlings. These trees grow best in open public spaces where hot air fills the valleys, cultivating large and extensive branches supported by an even larger root system. These trees adore acidic soils, identifying the tree personalities stifle smaller plants and roots to prevent other trees from growing near them. These trees also have very spiny, yet tiny hidden hairs on the needles and leaves with prevent water from washing over them to keep open neuronal cleansing, which makes them grow slower, yet stronger branches and have a lifespan many times greater than 150-200 years. The thorns develop from young saplings, getting larger throughout the trees lifespan. These same thorns develop flowering spongiform figures, (in the likeness of un-seasoned hard, thick shelled marshmallow, which are still unripe and needing maturation). The marshmallows are cultivated by marshmallow farmers, picking the hard treats in large batches, wrapping them in white plastic, lining them in fields to cultivate and mature in the open sunlight. Water damages the aging process due to intolerance of open-cell processes, as it creates rot, mildew and other disease processes, polluting the neuronal processes of the maturing crop. Ensure these marshmallow farms are well drained to avoid watery evaluation, prefer fertile young and maturing soils with plans for decreased carbon-dioxide in their futures.

Marshmallow, sometimes used as slang to describe a white person, has sometimes resembled the slang for American Soldiers called doughboys, serving a purpose of useless labor, fighting in a war which should have never happened. Can also be used as slang for someone who is gullible, described as a wuss, wimp or a sissy, as in marshmallows have taken over the white house. Mature marshmallows, and the study of them, ‘marshmology,’ has developed over the years to support their slipperiness when placed on a pointed stick and held over fires. Fluffy puff, moonpie, fluff dog’s, nutter flutters, toasty tom’s, smeep’s, chimallow, mellower, gordsmore, and many more nicknames are all mouthwatering to the marshmallow connoisseur, and give a s’morgasm of flavor. However don’t simply listen to me, try saying chubby bunny with a few of them in your mouth!

The American Marshmallow Farmer

©2021, Steve Davis

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-09837-299-6

ISBN eBook: 978-1-09837-300-9

Table of Contents

My Inspiration

Thoughts

Clarification and Release

Disclaimer

Remarks

Writing as a Nurse

Notes, Being a Nurse Veteran

Therapeutic Notes

A Personal Desire

A Little History

Search for Talent

Military History Note

Historical Status of Military Veterans

Civilian or Military Leadership?

This is How We Do Things Here!

Anger Management Issues?

Who is in Charge?

Conscription, Only For The Poor?

Spanish Flu, Electricity

I recently turned 50 years old, (-;

Wondering what inspiration,

what have I done, what legacy am I creating,

what difference have I made in the world,

as a man,

as a dad,

as a husband,

as a nurse,

(and being a member of an underprivileged and

underrepresented minority group),

as a veteran…

Thoughts

Where there are open minds, there is change!

My writing this book is utilizing my imagination, my approach to look at thoughts, ideas, concepts which do not always follow common sense backgrounds. I try and use cross-disciplinary direction with research, having a scholarly approach to reviewing history, news, nursing, psychology, political science, and records of law to look up more information to assess and analyze the state of disabled veterans in society today. Yes, it is also autobiographical as well. But the main premise, is to have an open thought process in order to see things, which may not be understood, to try to understand them differently with reading my thoughts and words in this written work.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, however when those opinions are dominated by views which are not reality, then a conflict is created. Many elements of society today are dominated by privilege and opportunity. People all over the world strive to find opportunities to find chances to make their lives better, however, those opportunities for many never become reality, and it not because they do not try to reach them. Veterans and other under-privileged people continue to face many unseen gaps in today’s world. Social conflict and distance in relationships to others further compounds these attempts to opportunity, thus, make it climbing a mountain simply to be acknowledged in society. The utilization of stereotypes and stigmas also further degrade people from being a part of social groups, successfully return to society after military service, and working to improve society. This work, this research, investigates both current perceived stereotypes of veterans and the stigma which creates a victimized state, which then pushes helpless and hopeless feelings, both of the individual and of others in society. Politics, economics, control of information, and war, (many times over money), all play a part in the history of veterans from not only this country, but in the development of the world to where it is today. Thus, this writing will also look back into history of how this may have been associated with past practices relating to veterans, disability, and psychiatric care, which have led us to where the world is in modern times. The state of post service military servicemembers, our national defense, and the representation of a nations’ veterans after service, can and does affect the status of future defense manpower needs and interests of and for the people of society. I hope for this work to open people’s minds as to the status of todays disabled veterans, to suggest an approach to improve this in the future, and to identify aspects of courage towards a recognition of the importance of volunteer service going into the future.

Clarification and Release

I do not feel I can make a difference, if I am simply being and doing like everyone else! —Steve Davis

This writing is not associated with any professional organization; university; college; private or public company; library; research organization; lobbying agency; political action group; government organization; political party; bank; space civilization; underground political group or society; religious entity; military department or governmental agency; secret society; nor any public or private entitlement entity. I am on a lifelong learning journey, knowing the future is not predictable, and others cannot tell me what is going to happen in the future. My work is not computer created, (i.e., faked by a program), it is my work. However, I am only human, and as such, I make mistakes, I can miss punctuation, or quote from someone and not be exact, or possibly not quote the source properly. Therefore, any editorial errors, errors in spelling or pronunciation or use of wording, or improper citations, mis-spelled names, they are my fault and my fault alone. Please blame me, then please forgive me instead of attacking my whole book as ‘inaccurate,’ as this is written for entertainment, educational, knowledge seeking precepts. My writing is as factual as I can make it at the time for which I am writing it! This has been my writing, my work, on my dime!

I have not won a golden buzzer; nor been awarded a grant for my devotion to support other veterans regarding post military service dignity being respected; I have no foundation financing nor am I independently wealthy; I am not from a swamp or part of any ocean or cavernous people either, I do not live in a forest, cave, or hobbit hole, though my skin is very white from staying inside so much to type this writing and reformat, reword, change template back and forth, all the while trying to keep the peace between realistic understandings of the modern world and conspiracy theatre.

Though I did grow up in a trailer park close to a military base, the nearest grocery store was over 56 miles away, I had plenty of free time after grade school, and junior high homework was completed. Playing more on weekends and a lot of adventuring in the summer. I wanted to do great things in life, to understand how the world is what we want it to be, and to help to make it better.

After my parents separated, I realized at a young age I am no genius, however I am rather smarter than some others. I mean I do not compare myself to Ludwig Wittgenstein, John Locke, J.R.R. Tolkien, Immanuel Kant or Ayn Rand, however their works intrigue me, make me think. John Locke and his focus upon education of self stands out most, with personal desire and explanation of perpetual improving of talent through experience building. Ayn Rand demonstrating how we should be motivated by our desire to achieve, not necessarily achieve to beat others. My being a nurse, Kant’s philosophy guides me through development with improving experiences, choosing what is morally right through categorical imperative when I care for patients. Philosophically describing Kant, and Aristotle’s description of categorical imperative with having a major premise, a minor premise, which leads to a conclusion, this could also be described as having a maxim which forms the basis of universal moral laws, explained in another way, it is like a technical explanation of ‘the golden rule." You know the one saying ‘treat others as you want to be treated,’ not the one in cartoon Aladin saying ‘the one who has the gold makes the rules.’ Good performance as a nurse, doing what is right, true and just on the performance as a nurse, should bring reward and appreciation. With both Kant and Aristotle, the only aspect we can control is one at the top, the major premise, also called the maxim. Thus, similar to what is said in the movie, Kingdom of Heaven, the world we live in today, our society, (something similar to);

It is a world of conscience thought, or it is nothing.

Therefore, everything which we as people can control, the principles we live by, the maxims of our lives, the principles for and by which we live out on a day-by-day basis, it comes from our conscience. If our conscience is not the base of moral existence, they are out of our control. However, there is another category which we are presented with. This additional category creates a clash when placed into the categorical imperative, that maxim’s form a universalizability principle, forming a universal law or moral law, and the other categories are displacing away from principles. (The categorical imperative each person is acting out of their own good will). The societal flaw is perpetuated when people, those members of society who are not viewed as people themselves, but instead as means to an end, numbers in the corporate structure, worker bees, debt slaves, or viewed as chattel property.¹ (I will talk about nurses throughout history, in many parts of this work).

When politicians, governmental officials, national and governmental leaders are allowed to lie, to mislead, to manipulate information in order to promote their desired narrative, to take a nation’s money away from the people and those stealing it, use it for their desires, that says, we are not living in a real world, it is fake, and technology allows them to further push those altered narratives even more. Thus, as a nurse, when confronted with favoritism, preferred treatment, and in today’s world of corruption, ‘fraud,’ how can we improve upon a society controlled and dominated by money, fake people, corruption at every turn? Then, the categorical imperative, desire of improving life for ourselves and others, the aspect of us, being in any control, is destroyed. Any universalizability, insurance re-imbursement, equal treatment continues to be observed as decreasing, (retirement checks as well as disability payments too). The moral aspect which is associated with Kant’s philosophy is taken away. As a result, how can veterans be treated as equals when favoritism, preferential treatment exists, especially, since doing what is true, right and just is part of the moral backbone of military training? The thoughts of analyzing these issues is perplexing, yet simplistic at the same time. Thus, please do not look at this writing as my red book like Carl Jung created, or his black book as JRR Tolkien would describe them. Jung, with the premise his red book would be published after his death, and with no immediate benefit to the causes I am hoping for. Jung does note however when,

Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people. —Carl Jung

Being aware of my own self, my shadow personality traits, and the evil I am capable of, but choose to not participate with, makes me understand myself more, as well as being more misunderstood in society. Over self-awareness, in some ways is bad, however, on most cases, is good thing.

I would hope in the future I could be part of helping provide resources or granting to veterans the funding, monies, and support means to help them adapt to normal living outside of the military, considering departure from the military seems more entrophic, seeking more life energy, than simply, occurring, (yes entrophic, as in having many different ways a in which energy is utilized as a need, plants need energy to live, and as such, veterans require energy and interaction from their environment to survive. Rather than entropic, meaning having or being in a state of order, then moving to a state of disorder. (Entropic would be better described as similar to how Aldous Huxley described society in his 1932 novel, Brave New World).² An entropic status is sometimes pushed, maybe on purpose, or possibly unintentionally on veterans as they strive to return to society after military service is over?).

Any financial benefit from this book will hopefully seek out to support those goals noted above. I also wish and hope to support the purposes set up with the 1776 commission to teach a better understanding of our nation’s history.

Enable a rising generation to understand the history and principles of the founding of the United States in 1776 and to strive to form a more perfect union.³

The principles of our nation’s history are facts based upon history in the writings, the archives of this country’s history. They are not alterable; they can be burned in one library only to be found in another. Debating or arguing about purpose of something being written hundreds of years ago, as to why they wrote something to me, is political distraction. Yes, we are moving into a technological future and furthering the development of synthetic theater of war, yet, the Declaration of Independence still, continually forms the basis of our freedom, our sovereignty. It is indicative of each of our personal desire for sovereignty. It is not to remain an element of history only, which many in politicians want or desire to implement. The statement attributed to Abraham Lincoln, (but not found yet as to the source of where he stated it), regarding purpose of our nation’s founding is forever,

not for one people or one time, but for all people for all time.

Corruption has become a distraction of those founding principles and has now become a dominant distraction regarding every yearly economic budget plan of our government, the media, and of state and local governing bodies. Bribery, by definition, is now Lobbying for representation, which directs monies off budgeted plans into the pockets of preferred entities, not benefitting all of society, as that is what a democracy does. This country was formed as a Republic, designed to be characterized by the desires and will of the people for which stand within its jurisdiction. I believe I served to accomplish those principles, and my desire is to continue that drive so our declaration of independence is,

‘clearly able to be applied to all men and women at all times." (Yes, women too!).

I am writing this based upon my own time and effort, not being paid to direct my opinions toward any specific outcome. Considering time over thousands of years, is also historical fact, though my life experiences are small compared to the time the world has been here. I am no longer a quadragenarian, yet Desert Shield and Desert Storm seem distant history. With some centenarians over 109 years old, adding super to their title, their sharing stories from history becomes fascinating. (supercentenarians). Thus, the recognition that I am not talking from verbal tradition in my family, my tribe, it is because as I am not an element or part of distant or ancient history, yet!

Therefore, the opinions expressed in this writing, are all mine, they belong to this author and this author alone. My opinions in no shape, form or way are shared to reflect attitudes, thoughts, or opinions of any other cited reference, writer or editor noted in this work. This work is for educational, intellectual, historical, and entertainment purposes. Thus, any questions about relation to an outside corporate financial influence for this writing, the answer is NO. Did someone, any individual pay me to write about this, or finance me for this work in any way, the answer is NO. Am I under the effects of Cannabis, Dimethyltryptamine, Psilocybin (magic mushrooms), compressed hair spray or pressurized air, alcohol, or effected in any way by social Darwinism, again, the answer is a very big NO. Another NO for any outside help for this writing. Then also a huge fat No for someone else writing any of this for me. This work is entirely all my own, Steve Davis’s work. No space travel for guidance, no visions or apparitions, no images from the back wall of Plato’s cave. No alliance with any movie studios or screen writers, or guilds. No work with idea channeling. No Mandela effect from mental images, this work is from within me, the entire work can be better described as, this is who I am, very similar to a song from a recent 2017 movie. ⁴

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1 Notes shared with me from a lecture given on moral philosophy by Arthur F. Holmes, Professor of Philosophy at Wheaton College from 1951 to 1994. He died 8 October 2011. There are no quotes or direct words taken from his work.

2 Huxley, A., (1932), Brave New World, Published by Chatto & Windus. (No direct quotes taken from this work).

3 Multiple authors/editors, (January 2021), The 1776 Report; The President’s Advisory 1776 Commission, (Publisher not listed on the report).

4 Pasek, B, & Paul, J, songwriters for This is Me, Sung by Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble, released in 2017, in the Movie, The Greatest Showman, (also sung by Voices Of Hope Children’s Choir, America’s Got Talent, 2018, episode 4).

Disclaimer

Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.

—Henri Bergson

Enough of my past reticence. Now I must note at this point in this writing to try and remain a-political. Considering everyone is dynamically unique, and allowed or entitled to their doxastic perceptions, I choose to believe in the permissivism of our society is real. There is an enormous political and governmental drive to rule out uniqueness in order to focus more on creating one central aspect of everyone permitting one point of view, (it is where ‘follow the narrative,’ comes from). Thus, I stand against the current, or I am a branch going against the grain, into the flow. Considering multiple writers will attack this writing, (other than those of you who already have), saying it may be about white supremacy, of which I am not trying to reduce or downplay anyone, however, to identify perceptions of historical information tends to play out in our society more so than real factual information. This work is not one of sedition or treason. My choice is not death by a thousand papercuts, nor wish for the insults and ravish downgraded comments bloggers have slammed me with already. I am not intending in any way to put down or disrespect African Americans, America’s history of Indian slaves, put down Black Lives Matter, pull a veteran card, or even diminish the extent of the historical notations on the transatlantic slave trade. No, I am not disrespectful of our nation’s wartime flag, however, to argue later, it is just that, a wartime flag, (read it, WARTIME)! Sometimes people need to be struck by lightning to open their eyes and ears in order to learn, in order to change and never be the same after.

With that being said, I am a military veteran, studying, researching, and identifying how the past presents itself as history regarding veterans returning to the world after military service. I am trying to determine for myself how the following of facts, historical documentation through verified sources, and as well as I can, to better understand the world I live in, and how history is revealed to the reader, in this case, myself.

As Sam Wineburg has defined or explained the ‘discipline of history’ as:

the words original meaning-the opposite of disorderly, slovenly, whimsical, and capricious. In this sense of discipline, history teaches us to resist first-draft thinking and the flimsy conclusions that are its fruits. This kind of history cultivates caution and teaches us we must engage in a sober accounting of what we do not know. Without this capacity, we are destined to be history’s victims rather than its students.⁵

When history cannot be proven, I cannot fully utilize it as fact, but I can discuss it as legend, as a myth relating to the telling of my story. Myth is described as,

a powerful story reaching too the deepest recesses of the human soul, touching in ways that we are not able to articulate our feelings, thoughts, consciousness, or sense of our behavior.⁶

This is similar to our current 2020 election cycle has gone, and possibly with previous elections as well, I wonder are we living in a myth as it does not rely on truth, nor on facts, but on a story, (a stage), a set pattern of narrated points,

whether something really happened or not is inconsequential in a myth.⁷

Do we listen to the news media on television, knowing full well the television does not finalize any of our election processes, but under the 12th amendment of the original constitution, the electoral college is appointed to vote in deciding on our political elections? It is the same process with how corporations vote on their president, the board of directors choose through their elections, their next leader, or their next Chief Executive Officer, who tends to lead through executive orders. (How many has our senior leader signed already in 2021?). Believing media to dictate government politics when it is not how the Constitution is written, is part of why the electoral college was created, however, when the media has become more and more dominant in controlling information, it becomes impossible to know what is truth and what is real anymore. It is supposed to be up to congress, not the news media, to decide the outcome of a failed election. When an election is in conflict, the election issues go before the House in Congress, not the televised news media. Not to the distraction of a group of actors rushing through a gate opened by capital police to let the touring protestors into the capital building in Washington D.C. Thus, until the electoral college meets, nothing from CNN, MSN, ABC, Fox, or any other corporate owned newspaper, radio show, paper news source, talk show or TV news episode is a show, only an entertainment show to place ideas into your mind. Nothing from television is factual, nothing on the tube is final, and apparently, none of it is true!

Other people, using blogs, tweets, Facebook, or other forms of electronic or written communication to alter or with changing the narrative of the past, the present, or utilizing an altered narrative, to me this is political rhetoric, and when blog writers, (some even claiming to be librarians), state differences in history, from what is historical fact, to me it seems to be done more to inflate conflict than to answer the question of what does history say and what is history teaching us. Claiming books or works of history deflate experiences of blacks from Africa brought out of their country remains a debated political point, rather than directly responding with historical evidence. (That and now removing Dr. Seuss books as they are apparently too racist!). This becomes much more easily understood when those political people talk, they demean people who are not within their narrative, or label them as ‘conspiracy theorists,’ claiming they are spreading baseless conspiracy ideas, where in reality, the people being talked about, being labeled and stereotyped, many of them are actually focused on finding the truth, they are living in reality and not in a narrative. They also continue in seeking to gain knowledge, and information supported by facts and not script writers. Is this not fascinating in those debates, it is the facts which are not attacked. That to me is the differentiating factor of being able to recognize the truth of the world today. It is easy to identify those in the conspiracy, those utilizing dominance and control, when they do not argue or debate facts, instead they label, describe with insults, stereotype, belittle, and attack the person or organization presenting the evidence and truth, which unfortunately, over the past 150 years has further spread throughout all levels of society.

Conspiracy and their theories have been with this nation since before its independence. My permissivism, or my belief identifies there are mainly two reasons, for which these labels exist. First, to create fear in those who hear them in order to create action, or inaction. And secondly, to redirect attention away from any challenges to the established ruling order which is present. Conspiracy is after all, a group of people united in action to accomplish something. Thus, when others learn of the act which the conspiracy minded group was creating, in truth, the identification of those actions, is a conspiracy theory! Logic sucks sometimes when real discussions are engaged, because, when they label others as conspiracy theorists, they are literally telling you it is true!

If you are focused upon watching the burning destruction at the top of the tall building on television, you are not seeing the thievery of stealing the gold out of the basement planned, coordinated, and carried out by a group of people engaged to get rich on all that heavy refined, highly conductive natural mineral refined down into bars and coins. My belief, is the real purpose of conspiracy theories, is to purposely hide the actions put forward in the first place away from those who are not benefitting from the result of the action. Again, if you are watching the top floors of a high-rise building burn or blow up, your eyes are not on the treasures, the wealth being carried out of the security vaults in the basement.

There are arts and cultural practices in ruling people, in political directives. These actions are psychological in nature and are well studied and practiced. Their favorite in politics is projection. As Freud explained it, projection is an exaggeration of perception, of thoughts, desires and feelings of one person or one group, onto someone else, or onto another group, (No quote, this is my explanation of projection). Carl Jung also included with Freud’s explanation of projection, those elements from the dark side of a person’s psyche, what he also termed from the ‘shadow.’

We recently witnessed a failed election, where laws were broken. Legally, ballots are to be kept in storage for potential review for minimum of seven years after the election is over. The destruction of those ballots is part of that psychological control, believe what we tell you on television, as you cannot look over the ballots for yourself. It is literally a demonstration of psychological control. Also, we have seen many executive orders since January 20th, 2021. It is interesting, already, there is a challenging of the intentions of the 1776 commission report, which again demonstrates our politicians, our governmental leaders are political tools of those who rule from the shadows. This to me is simply trying to prevent more people from learning about our true history. For instance, the 1619 project is indicative of altered or re-written history. It has not been downgraded, it has not been removed from driving educational plans, although it was attacked for not representing history in a respectable manner. I will discuss how this affects veterans in multiple places in my writing. Also, the attacks on the 1776 commission report, as well as it apparently being removed, or the commission cancelled by executive order is an attack on the intent to teach a more meaningful history regarding the past of this nation and of the principles of its founding.

Attacking the document, insulting the members on the 1776 commission is easily better understood as a prelude to burning books, (also will be discussed further). The claiming there are falsehoods in the report is indicative of the practice for which we have found ourselves in today. When there are questions of who said what, the best tool of resolution is to identify the speaker of the quote, financial backing of the speaker, and/or where the subject being identified is found in history. The criticizers are not doing that, instead, in a similar manner to attacking the messenger, they are attacking the editors, the authors of the book, not the intent, not the historical evidence of the work itself. The quotes in the report, from what I have looked up, are truly spoken by the people noted in the work. They are the evidence for the Of the People, premise of that historical project. Those attacking the report and the supposed executive action to remove the commission, those people should be looked at as the ones who are trying to alter history, to redirect the public, and to alter the future by controlling the past, as Orwell said, control the past to control the future. The intent to teach principles and fundamental truthful purposes of the commission should be viewed as outstanding towards goals of the future. Those attacking the intent of the report, the hope for a better understanding of history, they should be addressed as the cause of treason, sedition, to alter the acknowledgement of our nation’s founding history. It is literally, attacking veterans who volunteered to serve in this nation’s military to defend and support the constitution of our country.

If you want, you will probably attack me for my point of view. Potentially attack me for not being a degree holding historian, or having a certification of management, nor for having a plaque about understanding human resources on the wall behind my desk. I do however have a certificate stating I have served my country after swearing to take an oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States of America, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, (although, I do not know exactly which of the 4 passed constitutions that have existed in this country, I really took that oath for? It is true, about every 60-80 years, our constitution is practically changed/re-written. The original is hidden in political rule over us). That enemy very well may be those attacking the principle and intent to understand better and to learn the true historical facts about this nation’s founding fathers and their purpose for doing so. (After all, first lesson in debate 101, is to understand the material being discussed prior to entering to watch the debate and gaining an enormously better knowledge of the subject matter before participating the debate/entering the conversation).

So, go ahead, attack me, insult me, threaten my work, that is your freedom of speech for which thousands of veterans have gone before me to protect your right to do so. I would suggest instead of wasting time, wasting energy on empty attacks on my character, rather you direct your energy to understand the original works of our founding fathers. Understand the principles and the intent of founding a nation based upon the Declaration of Independence, being written for all mankind, not only in the 17th century, but for all of humankind, all over the world. That is why every country in the world watches our elections closely, watch the actions of the people of the United States for what their values are, their choices for living and their societal actions. Also, to study that slavery was not caused by, designed by, supported by or influenced by this nation’s declaration of independence! But you will have to read the rest of the book to understand that concept, as slavery has taken another form of controlling labor.

This writing is not about myth, nor about legend, this is about identification of my understanding of history relating to veterans, how history repeats itself, and is focused upon what I can gleam as historical fact. Factual information is that which can be supported by evidence. Therefore, in looking at veteran’s history, there also must be a search for other histories as to exploiting humans for generalized labor practices. Slaves for labor, conscripts for armies and navies, utilizing people to accomplish a purpose without truly rewarding them.

I am referring the reader to please look up some material on their own due to my not using subversive tricks of the mind, bringing in false or misleading thoughts or ideas as diversion from real world issues, or magic of ideas to manipulate mind pathways. Do not use mainstream search engines which dictate which results you can look at, use other ones, of your selection so I am not determining what you are allowed to read. I am choosing to not dissemble my message, as I feel it is important to understanding the true state of veterans today and would like others to better understand history in order to improve the outlook to the future. Otherwise, you will be part of Mark Twain’s quoted pattern of disbelief, (you do not have to be a veteran to have been fooled into the state we are in today).

"It is easier to fool people than to convince them that

they have been fooled." —Mark Twain

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5 Wineburg, S., (2007), Unnatural and Essential: the nature of historical thinking," Teaching History, 129 (2007): 6, 11. (See also, Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001).

6 Kostera, M., (2012), Organizations and archetypes. Edward Elgar Pub, p. 24

7 Kostera, M. (2012) ibid, p. 24.

Remarks

"Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another

mind than the one where they sprang up."

—Oliver Wendell Holmes

This work is not in combination with any nursing master’s thesis or doctoral work preparation, as I am currently not in an educational program. Those are both desires of mine, however due to work schedules, finances, and inability as a veteran to be awarded any graduate scholarships, school grants or additional funding, I am unfortunately not that far in extending/continuing my publicly determined economically induced education. This work has not been paid for by any grants, loans, no corporate sponsors, no free political donations, or gifted money from any one person or multiple people, I have no trusts supporting me or my family, nor funding from a political action committee or foundation. Nor is this work directed to one outcome based upon any type of financial support or financial goal, other than to possibly help pay for my masters or doctoral education and wishfully to form a foundation in the future to support veterans better than they are now.

Other than my own hard work, my own late-night reading, investigating and researching veteran’s history, over 37 trips to local libraries, multiple hospital libraries, and three trips to the military history library in Carlisle PA, (by Gettysburg Pennsylvania), all at my own time, expense, and out of pocket gas costs. These are my current observations taken from a culmination of experiences mainly after my military career ended, my understanding of events and life from my personal efforts and cited sources, my experience from military healthcare history, education of myself, training I have attended, conferences I participated in, readings, research, and from other referenced materials I have read or looked into as of the date of this writing. My writing may be related to a feeling, understood better as explained from a comment attributed to Ludwig Wittgenstein, the identification from a saying to a friend,

He once said he felt as though he was writing for people who would think in a different way, breathe a different air of life, from that of present-day men.⁸

I am writing for people who have open eyes, are looking for more than what is on the surface, dictated for us to believe it. This then furthers an explanation from a majority of readings, research, and a few side talks with others about the state of veteran stereotypes and stigma’s, prejudicial treatment, as servicemembers depart from military service, and a history studied and observed from the past. All my sources are listed in this document, even when I refer the reader to look things up themselves, I give enough information to know, I am not making this stuff up. Although I have used as much source literary criticism to determine reality and truthfulness of the information the sources share, I cannot, and do not have the time and financial resources to research every single amount of information from each resource listed within. If you, the reader does not believe me, then wait, understanding a philosophy of the ages, better described simply by, Aulus Gellius, (125-108 AD), who quoted.

Truth the daughter of time,

Truth, it becomes precious to know and protect it, considering truth and integrity are identified as being more rare in today’s society, in a time of post truth importance. Also noting that Hermes was listed as being the Greek god for communication, and hermeneutics demonstrates a search for meaning ranging between written word, stories told, and how people find meaning, I am searching for truth and deeper meaning for myself. I will discuss further the Marshmallow Farms, later in this book, as the premise for its description better fits into that chapter.

Finding meaning is not about ‘therapy,’ or about being told what my place is in this world, finding meaning to me is recognizing we are more than we are told we are, both now from our own past and into the future. After all, is not history, or the research of history, only an ongoing investigation into the past? We are all viewing life through a project looking glass,⁹ seeking direction In the Matter of One Compass.¹⁰

There are situations which by their very nature give rise to the question and suggest the beginnings of an answer. ¹¹

Thus, I am presented with an additional paradox. Is this an enormous awakening of consciousness? An awareness of self-different, from general perception? That being when history is no longer real, is the future also, no longer real? Am I one of them who is ‘None so blind as they/them that will not see, none so deaf, as they willfully will not hear.’ Is this then my creation, my mind filled with science fiction, fascinating tales?

I think not. It is really a look back to further discuss history, the past of veteran military service, not necessarily written by the victor, but history as forensic facts reveal it to us. I feel like I am being kept 6 feet apart from everyone else, as I desire to be getting just one foot closer! As we live in the present, further growing into this post truth era, with the narrative being presented to us constantly being changed, we thus, need to pay more attention to real facts as information is being presented to us, paying attention to information of verifiable history, otherwise, the future will no longer be revealed to us as reality, but instead dictated by emotion, by feelings, which can be distorted by political, religious and monetary powers. (That is what they mean by ‘post-truth-era).

Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying.

You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

The world is not what we think it is, nor is it as real as we believe we want it to be. Only look at the latest election dilemma and the virus narrative of covid 19 to see there is some fakeness to reality, and a whole lot of make believe presented today. The people of the world are also not so much the fool as they are told to be! Pay attention or you will miss it. For many people today, it will be,

"You don ‘t want to look, because if you look you will

have to change." —Tony de Mello

As Admiral McRaven shared from his address/speech at the University of Texas at Austin, with, (and I paraphrase), ‘identifying life is not fair, it is not going to be full of gifts and fun.’ In life, stress is with us all the time. He notes that, (I now summarize), ‘If we want to change the world, we cannot quit when we become a sugar cookie, we have to get over it and keep moving forward.’ (Sugar cookie was Navy Seal training term used for wet, tired, miserably cold, covered in sticky, muddy, skin stinging sand). At the beginning of his speech at UT Austin, based upon the Admiral’s work, ‘Change your life, change the world,’¹² he discusses, (and I paraphrase to avoid any conflict of copyright), everything has to start somewhere, and when it does start, it can change the world.

You’re reading this book, my book, your commitment to finish it, is part of that social desire for change. The ability to think, to critically look at information and understand it, is required of each person now in our country, in our society, in order to be able to adapt, to a state of constant change. To a state of information manipulation, changing our past, using the changed information, planning our future for us.

Historically, the strength of the ancient Roman Empire and their army was all about their ability to adapt to constant change. Change, many times only related to once in a while issues. Change however, is a constant, relating to something ongoing