b) lots of people I know like my spit(fire, ahem). of those people, I
doubt any more than one or two even know what a Supermarine spitfire is,
what it did, or why.
Why don't you ask them if they know what a Spitfire airplane is instead of
assuming that they don't! Do you think that you are smarter than they are?
c) triumph associated the car with the plane because the brits _adore_ the
memory/image of the plane. it literally _saved_ their country. I seem to
remember reading somewhere that the name spitfire was plastered on
hundreds of products in britian in an effort to sell the line(s). sort of
as if f14 tomcats shot down hoardes of russian bombers every day for a
year and saved the east coast from complete devestation. the word
'tomcat' would be revered. triumph did this to _sell_ a car. just 'cause
they did it in attempt to raise sales doesn't make it a good idea--i.e.
two wrongs don't make a right.
They didn't just do it to raise sales, they wanted to give it a proper name,
which they picked a very good one I must say.
d) the plane is/was an instrument of _war_. it was developed and used for
the sole and primary purpose of _killing_ people. that's it. stop, right
now, and actually _think_ about that. think about it again. and again.
You obviously have limited, or no knowledge of the war, or any war! The
Spitfire was not developed with the primary purpose of killing people! The
Spitfire without a doubt, saved many more lives, than it ever took. Many were
used to intercept the V-1, and V-2 rockets that the Germans employed to
terrorize British civilians!
would you plaster an image of an m16 on the side of a car if it's
name/model number happened to coincide with the car? how about a
hand grenade? a tank? how about a picture of a b17 carpet bombing
dresden? or one being blown out of the sky by a/a fire, or maybe an
me109? or how about a spitfire shooting down a junkers? you see where
I'm going with this? the above were made for a _serious_ purpose. an
_important_ purpose. people were killed by and died in them in an attempt
to protect our country. I really like my spitfire, but it will never rise
to this level of importance. the car is a trivial, fun thing. war is
neither trivial nor fun. too many people sacrificed too much for me to
treat it at all otherwise.
You are trying to appear very self rightous I must say. Know what you are
talking about, and get to the point!
e) a wwii vet has license to give you a pass. you/we don't have license
to accept it. he can be nonchalant and gracious about it because he was
there, and you weren't. he _earned_ the right to act gracious about the
subject. you (I assume) did not. ask the vet if he wants to relive all
his old war experiences, though, and I'll bet you he doesn't. I don't
know about your relatives, but as a very small child I couldn't get much
at all out of either of my grandfathers about too much of their
experiences. both flew in bombers, and both were wounded. both had a
few stories they told if asked, but that was it, and I was told by my
parents not to press the issue too much. they were kind to the immature
kid who wanted to hear about how cool and glorious it was, and they were
nonchalant to a degree about the whole thing, but as an adult, I can see
in retrospect how they never brought it up, didn't seem to want to talk
about it, and were ready to ask me about school when I asked them about
what it was like to be in the war. it was the same sort of look my uncle,
an infantry marine in vietnam (wounded and nearly killed), got when my 6
year-old cousin would run around making 'blam blam' noises with his toy
guns. he never looked too excited about the idea.
I never got to meet either of my grandfathers because of the complications
they suffered some 20 years after the war, from injuries they received in
combat. I had a couple of great uncles who flew in bombers, one was a
Bombadier, and the other a ball turret gunner, both in B-17s. They had no
problems answering any and all questions I ever asked them about what they
did in the war.
this 'squadron' idea reminds me of my cousin. it sounds a hair too close
to immaturity, to 'wow, that's soooooo cool, tell me again what it was
like to kill the krauts, dude. was it cool, huh?'
You are the only one acting immature!
I'll agree most vets wouldn't object, but ask how many wanna brag about
how many of the enemy they killed and I'll bet you don't have many takers.
I think their attitude in this respect (towards a spit 'squardon', with
capitans and military patches) should be viewed as the same attitude my
uncle had towards his son. they know you mean well, so they'll give you
the pass. that doesn't make it right. if you _really_ want to show
respect to the vets of wwii (or any war, really) the local v.a. hospital
would love a check, I'll bet. or just volunteer your time. visit a vet
who doesn't have family. old people love to talk, to anybody. I'll bet
they'll appreciate that one hell of a lot more than a sticker on the side
of a car.
I've spent more time with WW2 vets than you will ever know. I did historical
reenactments, and also did work with Living History groups, and got to know
many vets, can you say the same?
the bottom line is, to my way of thinking, I'd feel like I was stealing a
part of something I didn't help earn, an honor I didn't help build. it
isn't my place to share in the shine of what they did, because I wasn't a
part of creating it. I did not fight in a war, and I think it shows lack
of respect, _and_ a general lack of maturity to trivialize those who did
by pretending my car and its associated club stack up with what they did.
I'd probably feel differently if I was a vet, but I'm not.
>From what you have been saying, I don't think many vets would even talk to
you. After all, it's about remembering what they did, and respecting that,
something you have obviously not done yet.
and if you think it honors veterans to put a spitfire sticker on the side
of your car and call yourself 'colonel smith of the n.a.s.s., sir
<salute>', or 'rear admiral jones', go for it. like you said, they
probably won't complain. and those who object don't have to come into the
tree fort. when my cousin gets his license, I'll buy him a parts spit
and send him your way.
Where did you come up with the military rank reference? You are obviously
making a mountain out of a molehill! I, nor has anyone else that I am aware
of, made any reference to military rank. Get a grip dude! If we would have
had more people like you during the war, we would have most certainly lost!!
Like those that fought in most of the wars this country has been involved in,
I am willing to fight and if necessary, die for what I believe in. Can you
honestly say this?
John C. Smith
75 Spitfire (the car, not the aeroplane)
John
Why don't you ask them if they know what a Spitfire airplane is instead of
assuming that they don't! Do you think that you are smarter than they are?
|