"Whether on a carrier, in Baghdad, in an isolated village in Iraq, or in the poppy fields and mountains of Afghanistan, we are at war. Sacrifices are made, including the ultimate sacrifice, every day. But, the sacrifice is being borne by just one segment of our society...the members of our military and their families.The rest of us continue with our daily activities and pleasures while complaining about high gasoline prices, the housing market,and the economy in general, etc., etc.
Too many of us are non-supportive, if not openly contemptuous, of the military that protects us every day, assuring us the right to and the ability to voice such complaints.Only one or two generations away from the "Greatest Generation" that experienced "victory gardens", an untold number of "Gold Star" households, and the rationing of gasoline, sugar, shoes, and other life "essentials" in order to support the war effort. All the citizenry were asked to make sacrifices, both large and small, to support the members of the military.Was it Vietnam?... The ending of the draft that ended the long tradition of the citizen soldier?...The radical Sixties?...The replacement of statesmen with career politicians?...The "me generation"?...All of the above?...None of he above? Whatever the cause or causes, we have developed into a society that is unwilling to make personal sacrifices for our country. Rather, we are dependent on a PBS documentary to show such sacrifices by a designated segment of our society, and we are surprised and amazed that such sacrifice is still necessary and that we have people willing to make such sacrifices on our behalf.
My Uncle James was a career Marine. He fought in the Pacific in WWII. He fought in Korea. He fought in Vietnam. But, I knew him as the gentle soul who ran a small appliance fix-it shop and who kept hard candy in the ashtray of his pickup truck for all the kids. Most of his adult life was one of sacrifice for his country...but he never talked about it.
I'm not sure if I ever thanked him before he died. So, although I'm late in saying this, "Thank you, Uncle James...I love you". What has happened to us? "
I visited the WWII Memorial here in Washington today. I thought about these comments as I browsed the monument and watched wheel chair bound veterens, citizens and foreigers gaze at the structure and briefly realize the magnitude and impact this war had on those who experienced it. I overheard two veterens recalling stories about thier experiences in combat to some young tourists from Idaho and thought to myself, "this monument is doing it's job."
2 comments:
Winston Churchill:
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
He was talking about the RAF pilots during the Battle of Britain.
If still alive, Churchill could very well be referring to the members of the U.S. Armed Forces today.
By the way, Churchill was voted out of office following WWII, replaced by a "politician", only to be returned to office and greater things when things went not so well for Great Britain, and a true statesman was needed...Will we learn a lesson from history?
Eyeque, you know the message. Thank you for sharing it with your readers.
Great post. The WWII Memorial was almost not built in its present location because it was to bellicose taking the center of the mall and it took to much green space. As my grandfather said it is about time America honors the WWII Vets all we did was our duty to save our country and the world.
Doc,
Did you read the WSJ Opinion two weeks ago about politicians with Charisma? It focused on Obama, but used Churchill as an example of the fickle voters.
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