Veterans' Day
As I begin this essay, it is Veterans’ Day, a day that, along with Memorial Day, always stirs me up.
My father was a veteran of WW II; my mother’s sister was an army nurse present at the liberation of Dachau, an older cousin was in Korea, a good friend from high school has his name on the black stone Wall, a niece transported prisoners from Afghanistan to Guantanamo, a colleague drove a fuel truck in Iraq, and former students are now in Iraq.
What these and other soldiers went through certainly was dangerous, demanding, affecting, and life-changing – life-ending in my friend’s case. Whether these soldiers stepped forward proudly to serve something they understood and respected or whether they volunteered for something they eventually came to recognize as hollow and unworthy of their sacrifice, whether they were economically coerced by poverty and/or racism into the only avenue open to their “advancement,” or whether they were drafted against their will; it is clear that these men and women have undergone life experiences most of us would prefer not to share.
They have suffered – some more than others – and deserve our compassion and respect. Our culture put them through this experience, and we – along with them – are responsible for that – we did not stop it, did we?
And so, on these “military” days I feel a deep regard for those who – without any real part in determining the policies that led to their war – were thrown into the deadly “adventure.”
At the same time I also experience profound anger.
After EVERY war veterans are screwed by the hypocritical politicos that not long before sang their praises. Promises are broken; attention is withdrawn; the “valiant warriors” who fought “to protect our freedoms” are told to drop dead. This administration isn’t even waiting until after the war to screw veterans and EVEN active-duty soldiers.
If that isn’t sick enough; no matter how poorly veterans are treated, no matter how many times they have been discarded by their “superiors” as just so much bothersome trash; whenever the NEXT war is being promoted, there is no shortage of old, white-haired veterans out front screaming for young blood to be spilled in a righteous defense of our “sacred freedoms.”
What are they thinking?
There are, of course, large numbers of veterans who don’t feel compelled to blindly cheer every new war trumpeted by rich, white, civilians. They have the insight and courage to accept the reality of their own experience; i.e. that war is never what it is sold as being; and that one needs to look with steely eyes at the sales pitch.
Mindless, cheerleading veterans are afraid to admit the reality of their experience. If their effort and sacrifice actually was expended for venal, selfish, or stupid reasons; rather than “to maintain our freedoms,” “to preserve our right to vote,” “to make the world safe for democracy,” “to spread democracy throughout the Middle East,” “to defeat terrorists,” etc.; then they have behaved foolishly; they’ve been duped; and most of them aren’t up to admitting THAT. So: you want a war?? Well, they’re for it!! Hott damn!! It’s even better than a football game!
The same psychological dilemma is faced by the poor, demolished parents of a son or daughter killed in a war. Upon the death of their soldier-child, parents are faced with a decision: did their precious child die in vain or as part of an honorable and glorious, altruistic endeavor blessed by God?
That’s a tough choice to make honestly. One can study the reality of the war – its causes, its goals, its administration, its treatment of our troops – and possibly decide that it was a farce and not worth the cost of one’s child, and that the son or daughter has died for little or no good reason.
But that’s hard to admit. It’s much easier for any of us to survive and continue with our lives believing that our child has died, not in vain, but for a glorious cause. That isn’t necessarily connected to reality, but it IS connected to survival.
It also is a major reason why nothing ever changes. We can’t accept the truth; so we propagate the falsehood, continuing to ease others into sacrificing their sons and daughters on altars of venal greed, ego, and neurosis.
It also explains why so many people can irrationally believe that those who oppose the war or the president “hate America” and don’t “support the troops.” It’s easier to claim that than to admit the truth; easier to appease one’s own psyche than to save a neighbor’s child.
- Uke Man
My father was a veteran of WW II; my mother’s sister was an army nurse present at the liberation of Dachau, an older cousin was in Korea, a good friend from high school has his name on the black stone Wall, a niece transported prisoners from Afghanistan to Guantanamo, a colleague drove a fuel truck in Iraq, and former students are now in Iraq.
What these and other soldiers went through certainly was dangerous, demanding, affecting, and life-changing – life-ending in my friend’s case. Whether these soldiers stepped forward proudly to serve something they understood and respected or whether they volunteered for something they eventually came to recognize as hollow and unworthy of their sacrifice, whether they were economically coerced by poverty and/or racism into the only avenue open to their “advancement,” or whether they were drafted against their will; it is clear that these men and women have undergone life experiences most of us would prefer not to share.
They have suffered – some more than others – and deserve our compassion and respect. Our culture put them through this experience, and we – along with them – are responsible for that – we did not stop it, did we?
And so, on these “military” days I feel a deep regard for those who – without any real part in determining the policies that led to their war – were thrown into the deadly “adventure.”
At the same time I also experience profound anger.
After EVERY war veterans are screwed by the hypocritical politicos that not long before sang their praises. Promises are broken; attention is withdrawn; the “valiant warriors” who fought “to protect our freedoms” are told to drop dead. This administration isn’t even waiting until after the war to screw veterans and EVEN active-duty soldiers.
If that isn’t sick enough; no matter how poorly veterans are treated, no matter how many times they have been discarded by their “superiors” as just so much bothersome trash; whenever the NEXT war is being promoted, there is no shortage of old, white-haired veterans out front screaming for young blood to be spilled in a righteous defense of our “sacred freedoms.”
What are they thinking?
There are, of course, large numbers of veterans who don’t feel compelled to blindly cheer every new war trumpeted by rich, white, civilians. They have the insight and courage to accept the reality of their own experience; i.e. that war is never what it is sold as being; and that one needs to look with steely eyes at the sales pitch.
Mindless, cheerleading veterans are afraid to admit the reality of their experience. If their effort and sacrifice actually was expended for venal, selfish, or stupid reasons; rather than “to maintain our freedoms,” “to preserve our right to vote,” “to make the world safe for democracy,” “to spread democracy throughout the Middle East,” “to defeat terrorists,” etc.; then they have behaved foolishly; they’ve been duped; and most of them aren’t up to admitting THAT. So: you want a war?? Well, they’re for it!! Hott damn!! It’s even better than a football game!
The same psychological dilemma is faced by the poor, demolished parents of a son or daughter killed in a war. Upon the death of their soldier-child, parents are faced with a decision: did their precious child die in vain or as part of an honorable and glorious, altruistic endeavor blessed by God?
That’s a tough choice to make honestly. One can study the reality of the war – its causes, its goals, its administration, its treatment of our troops – and possibly decide that it was a farce and not worth the cost of one’s child, and that the son or daughter has died for little or no good reason.
But that’s hard to admit. It’s much easier for any of us to survive and continue with our lives believing that our child has died, not in vain, but for a glorious cause. That isn’t necessarily connected to reality, but it IS connected to survival.
It also is a major reason why nothing ever changes. We can’t accept the truth; so we propagate the falsehood, continuing to ease others into sacrificing their sons and daughters on altars of venal greed, ego, and neurosis.
It also explains why so many people can irrationally believe that those who oppose the war or the president “hate America” and don’t “support the troops.” It’s easier to claim that than to admit the truth; easier to appease one’s own psyche than to save a neighbor’s child.
- Uke Man
1 Comments:
Hi Tom,
As you know, I hate war and I hate George Bush and the neocons and all the others who worked to put us in the current war in Iraq. Please keep up the good fight. Thanks from Sondra
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