Memorial Day. In the media our fighting men will be remembered mostly as an exhibit to sentimentality or even victimology. There is a very unpopular war on, waged on dubious grounds by a compromised government; but more than that our media is almost incapable of avoiding the plunge into maudlin sentiment. This vice is a crippling one, because there is so much more to memorialize than the grief of those bereft.
It is, for instance, worth remembering our fighting men as such: as soldiers and marines and the rest, the free and the brave, who fought because they were born to fight, and died because they were prepared to die. Let us remember the good that they did: the tyranny overthrown, the enduring peace achieved; the magnanimity in victory and honor in defeat. Let us remember those men who gave their blood to vindicate a just cause: the just cause of self-defense; the just cause of intolerance for conspicuous and menacing wickedness. Let us balk the media and remember, just for a moment, not only the grief, which is quite real, but also the glory, which is also real. Greater love hath no man than this, our Savior told us.
Let us hail the victorious dead.
Comments (2)
Nice, Paul.
I'll be remembering my best friend, who was killed in Vietnam. And my father, grandfather, and uncle, who all came back alive, but between them laid it on the line in World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam.
Posted by William Luse | May 28, 2007 10:16 PM
I salute to this persons actually to this heroes of different generation. My step father was a soldier before and got accidentally died on fighting for the country. So they deserve to be acknowledge and accept a lot of benefits through their families.
Dawn
My blog : friteuse professionnelle
Posted by Dawn | April 15, 2012 7:07 AM