Today, on this day of remembrance, I’m reflecting about the condition of our nation and what it may mean for future Memorial Days.
Rows of tombstones are a stark reminder of the price we have paid for our freedoms. It is important that we honor the fallen and to consider the nature of war and its ramifications. War is never good; its price is high, and grief is guaranteed.
This Memorial Day is more important because our valiant men and women are gathering near the Persian Gulf, in preparation for possible war with Iran. We are told that there are secret reasons that may propel us into fighting. The ghosts of Vietnam and Iraq stand before us. They remind us that we have been led into pointless wars before, always because of secret knowledge and misleading information. Our history is a story of almost continuous war from our revolution to today. In hindsight, we can now see that some of those conflicts were unnecessary and prompted by economic and political gain.
In every war we’ve fought, our young people have stepped forward, joined our armed services, and pledged their bodies and lives to the cause of freedom. These recruits and the non-coms and officers that train and lead them, are a national treasure, committed to sacrificing themselves for us. They trust that we will not squander their health and lives needlessly.
Now, more than ever, we must to be certain that any war is legitimate. We must protect our service people.
The questions we need to ask ourselves are; what are the exact purposes and goals of the war and, who or what benefits, economically or politically, if we fight?
On this mournful day, with the sky weeping and a damp chill reminding me of the grave, it is appropriate to consider how and why these endless rows of stone markers came to be. Not all our Heroes maimed or killed in heroic wars. That is why today, besides remembering the past, it is critical that we determine if a war with Iran, or anyone else, is valid.
War, is it worth more long lines of bone white stones? As Citizens it is our duty to decide.