I have spent part of this Memorial Day weekend reading some of the editorials that invariably appear at this time. Some are standard, others are detailed with many examples and some explore the changes in our society as to how we look at and treat our military heroes.
Recounting some of the heroics of our military heroes through the ages still produces goose bumps and brings a silent tear to our eyes.
These men and women performed unimaginable feats of bravery to protect their fellow soldiers and to win the battle for their beloved country.
In past wars, the enemy was easy to spot and everyone knew how victory was to be achieved. Soldiers knew what they were fighting for and gladly sacrificed their own safety to protect country and home.
Today we have an all volunteer military, the draft has been abolished. Today’s soldiers joined the military because they wanted to; some for economic reasons (better their life) and because protecting one’s country is a very noble profession.
Today’s soldiers fighting and dieing in Iraq are just as brave and heroic as soldiers of the past and should be honored as such. What makes their situation different from military engagements of the past is that for the first time in our history, we are not sure who the enemy really is. We are also unsure what victory will look like or even if it is a definable goal.
The Vietnam War had an enemy; the Communists attacking the non-Communists. Our job was to keep the Communists out of South Vietnam and eventually secure a permanent border between the North and the South, keeping the South democratic. By doing this we would keep Communism from spreading to all of Asia. We, the eighteen and nineteen year-olds at that time, were fighting to keep the world safe from Communism; the enemy of democracy.
Well, we failed and we lost a lot of American soldiers. We could have won but I will not get into that now. The point is we knew what we were fighting for even though with hindsight, it was a foolish war that killed a lot of our young people.
The war in Iraq is beyond foolish; it is absurd. Our soldiers are still brave and heroic but for the first time in our history, do not know the purpose they are sacrificing their safety and in many cases, their lives.
This Memorial Day we should remember those that gave their lives for us and our country and continue to do so but we should also take the opportunity to examine our current situation, how we got here and how we are going to get out and most importantly, how to prevent our present situation in Iraq from ever happening again.
Yes, we as Americans allowed Iraq to happen and are ultimately responsible for the lives of our soldiers who gave up their tomorrows for absolutely nothing; shame on us!
Recounting some of the heroics of our military heroes through the ages still produces goose bumps and brings a silent tear to our eyes.
These men and women performed unimaginable feats of bravery to protect their fellow soldiers and to win the battle for their beloved country.
In past wars, the enemy was easy to spot and everyone knew how victory was to be achieved. Soldiers knew what they were fighting for and gladly sacrificed their own safety to protect country and home.
Today we have an all volunteer military, the draft has been abolished. Today’s soldiers joined the military because they wanted to; some for economic reasons (better their life) and because protecting one’s country is a very noble profession.
Today’s soldiers fighting and dieing in Iraq are just as brave and heroic as soldiers of the past and should be honored as such. What makes their situation different from military engagements of the past is that for the first time in our history, we are not sure who the enemy really is. We are also unsure what victory will look like or even if it is a definable goal.
The Vietnam War had an enemy; the Communists attacking the non-Communists. Our job was to keep the Communists out of South Vietnam and eventually secure a permanent border between the North and the South, keeping the South democratic. By doing this we would keep Communism from spreading to all of Asia. We, the eighteen and nineteen year-olds at that time, were fighting to keep the world safe from Communism; the enemy of democracy.
Well, we failed and we lost a lot of American soldiers. We could have won but I will not get into that now. The point is we knew what we were fighting for even though with hindsight, it was a foolish war that killed a lot of our young people.
The war in Iraq is beyond foolish; it is absurd. Our soldiers are still brave and heroic but for the first time in our history, do not know the purpose they are sacrificing their safety and in many cases, their lives.
This Memorial Day we should remember those that gave their lives for us and our country and continue to do so but we should also take the opportunity to examine our current situation, how we got here and how we are going to get out and most importantly, how to prevent our present situation in Iraq from ever happening again.
Yes, we as Americans allowed Iraq to happen and are ultimately responsible for the lives of our soldiers who gave up their tomorrows for absolutely nothing; shame on us!
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