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| Little Round Top at Gettysburg |
I think a lot of people read
the wrong things into monuments to honor war dead. Each name on a wall
represents more than the military. The name represents entire families, changed
forever, all damaged beyond any recovery.
InVietnam , we lost an average of around 15
men a day, each and every day for ten years. It blows the mind to even think
about that. For what? Some may argue that it stopped Communist expansion. I
still don't know what the hell we were doing there. I see the faces of my
buddies who died and I don't understand to this day why they had to die, except
for one reason.
The war dead did not die for policy, not some big picture or domino theory or an effort to stop terrorists before they come here. That's the stuff politicians spout along with medals so they can get people to die for their often bad and self-serving ideas.
Troops don't die in wars for policy. They die for each other. That is what makes their sacrifice so honorable. Politicians and governments spout high ideals, but in the end, troops die in war to protect their immediate ground and the lives of their fellow soldiers.
They don't die for the long range goal of freedom. As you can see most of the time, people could care less about them or war as long as it's not affecting their daily lives.
They don't die for the ideals of individual freedom. How can you be free when you're dead? They die for those who serve with them. This unselfish sacrifice for those around them is what makes heroes, not some policy created by a bunch of rich politicians.
When you are willing to die for your buddy in arms, you make the ultimate sacrifice a human can give. That is the high ideal of war. That is why we should always honor our war dead, not because of politics, but because those who died made the ultimate sacrifice for each other under the worst conditions.
In
The war dead did not die for policy, not some big picture or domino theory or an effort to stop terrorists before they come here. That's the stuff politicians spout along with medals so they can get people to die for their often bad and self-serving ideas.
Troops don't die in wars for policy. They die for each other. That is what makes their sacrifice so honorable. Politicians and governments spout high ideals, but in the end, troops die in war to protect their immediate ground and the lives of their fellow soldiers.
They don't die for the long range goal of freedom. As you can see most of the time, people could care less about them or war as long as it's not affecting their daily lives.
They don't die for the ideals of individual freedom. How can you be free when you're dead? They die for those who serve with them. This unselfish sacrifice for those around them is what makes heroes, not some policy created by a bunch of rich politicians.
When you are willing to die for your buddy in arms, you make the ultimate sacrifice a human can give. That is the high ideal of war. That is why we should always honor our war dead, not because of politics, but because those who died made the ultimate sacrifice for each other under the worst conditions.
