MelissaA
Brenton
Shilpa Karhik
The MYTH Behind SALUTING As A WINNER Or LOSER Of The WAR!
March 7th 2009 10:00
U.S Naval salute - palm down.
Upon pointing out that they lost at Vietnam, the American initially tried to deny that it was actually a war, and when challenged on the issue subsequently snapped and the night turned into a smaller, but more tense version of Fawlty Towers ‘don’t mention the war.’
I didn’t therefore get to add in extra pieces of information such as other wars lost by America, and the discrepancy in regards to the British and their military salute, so I thought I’d get into it on here. You can then make your own mind up and tell me what you think as I quite like getting into the odd political discussion, but it seems that around some people, in particular this person, it’s not ‘permissible’.
Firstly, lets look at the issue of the British salute like this because they have lost a war. Incorrect. If you actually look at the ways in which the entire British military salute, the first thing you will notice is that they don’t even all salute the same way as each other.
While it is true that the British Army salute as earlier described, with their palms facing outwards, the British Navy do not. They salute with their palms down, the same way that the Americans do. In point of fact, this is where the American military adopted their salute from.
The two military bodies salute in this way so as to differentiate between a naval salute and an army salute.
Now sticklers who believe the original line might say ‘Oh, yes, but the British Navy has never actually lost a war while the army has.’ Well then how would you account for the British Airforce? The British Airforce has also never lost a war and yet they salute with their palms outwards in exactly the same way that their army compatriots do!
So now we move on to the second and much more decidedly messy question of what constitutes winning or losing a war.
Most non-Americans will tell you that America lost the war in Vietnam, Korea, the Battle of 1812 ( the Whitehouse was even burnt down during that one, not to mention that if America had won, there would be no Canada), The Bay of Pigs, The Alamo, and assorted other ‘skirmishes’. Indeed the question on the war on Iraq is a touchy subject with some as to whether or not it is really winnable or won, but as to the others, no matter how you call it, whether it is a Police Action as with Vietnam or any other name to justify it’s use, the point still remains that when it comes to war, the Macquarie dictionary describes it as:
1. a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or states, or between parties within a state; warfare (by land, by sea, or in the air).
2. a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles and campaigns.
3. active hostility or contention; conflict; contest.
4. armed fighting, as a department of activity
So if it looks like a pig, smells like a pig, sounds like a pig, and tastes like a pig, what else are we to call it?
Some may argue the stalemate theory, however what do you call it when you start a war and don't win it, suffer the worst of the fighting and most of the casualties, achieve nothing, and then cap in hand, and through the use of intermediaries, start searching for a peaceful solution seeking an end to the fighting because you finally begin to realise that you can’t win and would rather quit with some dignity intact? It’s certainly not winning, but the complete opposite.
And thirdly, just to confuse the issue further, the Canadian military actually used to salute in the same fashion as the British Army, but then sometime during the 1960’s they switched their salute to be similar to that of the Americans. Now, had the original salute myth been true, this would mean Canada would have been initially saluting to say that they had lost a war, but then changing it later on to say that they had not lost a war……....
Therefore it seems quite clear to me that the type of salute used by various forces comes down to a matter of individual service tastes, and nothing to do with winning or indeed losing a war.
On a small side-note - the respect given by a salute is said to have originated from the days of fully armoured knights who would lift their visors not only to identify themselves, but also as a mark of respect.
| 63 |
| Vote |
Comments (20)
Add Comments
Read More
