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:
My grandfather was also in France and Germany in WW1-he became a pacifist, a vegetarian and eventually a Buddhist. He is one of the heroes of my life and I always light a candle for him today. I still miss him, I suppose I always will. He left school at eighth grade to join the Marines but spent the rest of his life reading, learning, teaching himself about religion, philosophy and music. He corresponded with people all over the world, his thirst for learning was never ending. His home is the first place I ever saw Japanese and Chinese art, heard classical music, read poetry and so many other things. And this man was a worker with the rail road for many years and always poor but always had enough to take in one more stray, let one more kid camp out in the living room, set one more place at the table for a drifter passing through. Sorry about the length of this, and thank you for the chance to share a little bit of my love for him with you.
And I would like to thank them for showing the American people what service is, what patriotism is, and what decency is.
I would also like to honor the martyrs to, victims and survivors of, and Resistance against the brutality of occupation – from France to Poland to Czechoslovakia all the way down to Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, and beyond and all before, since or in between.
My prayer is that such evil will end, that the spirit of Resistance that has kept the flame of hope alive through the centuries will grow and metastasize, and become an overwhelming and irresistible force that will lead mankind to a better day.
Today I am thinking many thoughts about patriotism and what Memorial Day means.
I am thinking of my brother who as a mere baby of 18 and newly married was drafted on St. Pat’s day and sent to Vietnam and something of which he rarely speaks about.
I am thinking of the first Native American woman, Lori Piewesta, to be killed in Iraq.
I am thinking of her friend Jessica Lynch who has stood up to the behemouth of our military complex and not let herself be used and continues to honor her friends memory and to help her children.
I am thinking that we should also be thankful on this Memorial Day for the brave people who decided to become conscientious objectors to make people think about just what war is and what it does to people, their families.
I’m thinking that Native Americans who volunteered in WWI were not even considered citizens yet volunteered anyway. Almost laughably in 1924 I believe Congress passed the Native American Citizenship Act allowing them to call themselves or be considered Americans.
I am thinking of all the Black Americans who fought in every war when until recently they couldn’t even vote.
I am thinking of all the Japanese Americans who fought in WW11 and had the highest decorated unit yet many of their families or friends were in interment camps here in this country.
I am thinking I will not honor mr. bush for his service in the National Guard this day or any other day.
I am thinking of people in other countries who mourn the loss of their sister, brother or mother and father who have died fighting in some war-any war-as there is always war going on somewhere. Much to humankinds disgrace.
I am thinking that honoring the dead at times is simply a futile exersize to try and make sense of killing. For it seems we have learned nothing about war and killing except to continue to make more and more soldiers fodder for our Memorial Day.
I’m thinking I will honor Memorial Day as the saddest day of the year.