Remember

We remember those who have laid down their lives that others might live. Keep them in our memories. Keep them in our hearts.

Freedom's Seeds in Sorrow Sown

Blades of grass and pure white stone
shelter those who've come and gone.
Just below the em'rald sod
are boys who've reached the arms of God.
Buried here with dignity,
endless rows for all to see.
Freedom's seeds in sorrow sown,
'neath blades of grass and pure white stones.

How do I want to think about the military especially on this Memorial Day? It's easy to honor those who have fought and died in "good wars"-- wars that truely seemed to be in defense of our freedom. It's more complex in the case of this war, fraught as it has been with actions that mock the ideals of our nation. And I think we have grounds to be especially contemptuous not just of the civilian leadership but also the military leadership in this conflict who acquiesed to our country's war policies-- neutered lap dogs of the neo-cons.

Having said that, I think it is appropriate that we honor all those who serve, no matter how wrong-headed the war may have been. In the Viet Nam war, for example, there were countless soldiers who acquitted themselves honorably. America may be lost the war, but they-- the soldiers who fought-- won their battles. And the same must be true in this conflict. I think we must separate those who fight from those who decide they fight and also accord them due appreciation for their service and sacrifices. In the words of Rudyard Kipling:

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that,
an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country"
when the guns begin to shoot.