There are many ways to express love of country, sometimes even by resisting misguided leaders. Today, however, we memorialize those who willingly served in our country’s military, many dying or suffering wounds–even when they disagreed with the policies that sent them to their fates.
To those serving in Iraq: Thank you. It’s a wrong war and many of you know it, but are serving anyway. We honor you for your service.
[There will be diaries like this all day today, I know, but bear with them. The sacrifice of our soldiers should be ever before us, especially today. I have also posted this one on dKos.]
I did not serve in Vietnam and wouldn’t have. Oh, I was 1-A all right (I never had a deferment), and was waiting for my pre-induction physical to be scheduled (I would have refused, preferring to spend time in prison) when the lottery granted me a high number. Still, I honor those who did serve. And I honor more those who served even though they knew the war was pointless.
I honor my friend John Prindle, who served two tours as a side-door heliocopter gunner in Vietnam. He used to show me his scrapbooks, pointing to faces and saying things like “He got his the next day.” They looked like the faces of babies.
I honor my father, who served in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific in WWII, becoming a pacifist while in action on Leyte Island–but continuing to serve, though he found what he was doing reprehensible.
I honor my grandfather, who served in France in WWI and lost his leg. A National Guard soldier, he wasn’t eligible for the pension benefits of the regular army and was bitter about that. Still, he was proud of his service, proud of the Guard, and made serving veterans his life’s work–as a lawyer for the VA.
I honor my great-grandfather, who served in the Ohio 192nd Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, fighting in Virginia. His stomach was destroyed by the crabapples and salt port he gorged on after three days of no food at all.
I honor my great-great-great-great-grandfather (for whom I am named), a Colonel in the American Revolution.
I honor all the soldiers who have fought for this country in all of its wars, good and bad.
Please, if you have particular people you think should be remembered this Memorial Day, honor them with comments below: