Memorial Day Musings, Continued…

Lest you think yesterday’s Memorial Day Musings were designed to present only one viewpoint on a many-faceted issue, here are some others that were either prompted by that missive or offered after the fact and, therefore, not included until today.

Gnomie John H. St. John wrote:

July 2, 2005 I will see my 84th birthday. I am particularly gratified that I
have been included in “The Greatest Generation.” I also note that the media
is not only going to great lengths to present war as a normal state of
affairs, and that my service in WWII is getting the attention it so richly
deserves. We were tough, but the present generation (it has to be conceded)
is not only tough, but downright callous… or as many international
observers have noted: somewhat lacking in intelligence. This generation has
a plethora of technology that does everything for them but, in spite of
that, manage to work two jobs. Those that aren’t engaged in this arduous
exercise spend many hours in freeway traffic getting to and from work. Soon
they will have to have their food piped to them… This generation even
has its thinking done for it by over 300 think tanks.

Many of my buddies in WWII became prisoners of war by the Germans, but even
the Nazi practitioners of genocide did not torture subject prisoners to officially-sanctioned torture (though they shot
them occasionally). It is true that we were caught unprepared for war in 1941, but we
soon illustrated the fact that a giant industrial country could soon remedy
this. The present generation has twelve aircraft carrier battle groups to
fight terrorism with and has used this military might to attack a small Arab
country in the same manner as did the Japanese that attacked us at Pearl
Harbor. We even had a nice corporation logo to celebrate it with… Shock
and Awe.

In my day we didn’t have Amnesty International or a Center for
Constitutional Rights to face down a President and his whole administration.
We didn’t need them. President Roosevelt nor any of his generals, including
General Eisenhower, who later became President, would be horrified at today’s
use of torture and the fact that the American people have allowed an
administration to get away with it. This generation, (your generation) has
at its fingertips means of communication that we didn’t dream of…
television and the personal computer, hooked up internationally to other
personal computers, is science fiction come to life.

It is true that there are many voices of resistance on the Web, but I have to
conclude by saying that, if our generation had this kind of information,
there would be rioting in the streets.

Lloyd G. Ketchum of Liberating Technologies wrote:

Greetings,

Liberating Technologies’ offices will be closed this coming Monday, May 30th, 2005 in observance
of the Memorial Day holiday. Select technicians and I will be available by phone and e-mail to assist
users, and to ensure the continuity of all supported businesses and systems.

I should like to take the opportunity to wish each of you and your families a safe and happy Memorial
Day and offer my encouragement that in recognition of the significance of this holiday, we each take a
moment to reflect on its enduring meaning.

Memorial Day first began as Decoration Day - a day each spring when the loved ones of those past
spent a moment tending to their gravesites. Following the Civil War, the number of families sharing
losses was so great that the day took on a meaning which extended beyond individuals and their
families to the nation as a whole - the day became a part of the nation’s conscience and a reflection
of what it was willing to sacrifice to ensure not only its own freedom, but the freedoms of all people, of
all nations.

America’s fighting forces are unique in many ways, but they are unique in one singular way which
sets them apart from all others, past and present - America has never fielded an Army of conquest.
To the contrary, America has only used its power to protect its citizens and to extend, restore, and
sustain the liberties and freedoms of others. Despite having defeated every major power this earth
has presented before it, America hast left behind in its victories not destruction, but nations, and their
peoples rebuilt and free. In each case, it has then stood guard and protected and defended these
freedoms - regardless of the cost in treasure and its soldiers’ blood.

While it is hard to recognize, our nation is at war. On this and every day since our nation was
suddenly and deliberately attacked, our forces have stood, as their fathers and mothers stood before
them, to protect and defend our United States and all people who seek to become and remain free.
In this war, like all before it, there are men and women who have paid the ultimate price for freedom - our
freedom and the freedom of all those who seek it.

As America executed its war strategy - a global war on those waging war using the most malignant forms of warfare
ever devised (an enemy whose tactics favor attacks on the innocent while hiding behind the innocent), it
came under intense criticism and scrutiny by those most likely to benefit from a world willing to accept
terrorists as politicians and statesmen. As that criticism reached its peak, our then Secretary of State,
the honorable Colin Powell, was asked whether America’s war on terrorism and the criminals responsible
for murdering the innocent was simply our President Bush’s extension of the American Empire. Our Secretary
responded as follows:

“Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight
for freedom beyond our borders.
The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.”

Shortly after returning from one of our wars, I drove into the hills and valleys of Belgium and Luxembourg. I drove to
the American Military Cemetery for heroes whom had fallen during the Battle of the Bulge which liberated
Europe from the Nazis in WWII. It was Memorial Day. Coming to a stop at a small chapel in a heavily wooded
area, I walked slowly up a small rise. Nothing I could have ever seen could prepare me for what I experienced
next. As I moved forward, I came upon a sea of white as far as my eyes could see - the crosses of more than
80,000 US Soldiers who had sacrificed all - not for conquest, or spoils, but for the freedoms of others.

Whatever feelings I had, or would ever have for myself, or any other Veteran that survived war, vanished in
an instant. In that instant, I came to understand the true meaning of Memorial Day.
I was, and remain, forever grateful for their sacrifice. May we honor them by remembering and supporting
their cause in all that we do and say as once again our citizens make it possible for us to live as free
men and women.

Thank you all for all you do!

Chuck Billow wrote:

Chris:

Your article caught me eye and immediately touched me on many levels… Memorial
day is special to me both nationally as a holiday, and personally, as I lost
a close family member on Memorial Day.

I think that you are right all the way through the writing… I just wonder
if maybe you stopped short, though.

Memorial Day has certainly morphed over the years, for the worse I
personally feel. The initial cause of this I think is everyone’s
responsibility due to a lack of both attention and caring. But the real
question is, why haven’t the people who have noticed and who do care
combine talents, resources, and influences to re-assert the importance of
this day?

The initial purpose of the day, set up in 1863 to honor the dead soldiers of
the Civil War, is every bit as valid today for the millions who have died
since, and continue to die.

Whether the specific conflicts were or are warranted is a topic for another
time. But the worthiness of the dead to receive the gratitude of all who
live in freedom is beyond question.

If you have any ideas or plans to try to re-ignite this spirit, and if I
could be involved or help in any way whatsoever, I would be more than happy
to do so.