Memorial Day

[Dill]

(05-29-2017, 09:58 AM)xxlt Wrote: I wish we spent more time acknowledging that dimension of military service, and not "the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air." I saw a news clip yesterday in which a well known news anchor called rockets being launched from a U.S. ship in a recent attack "beautiful." I disagree.

If we are more honest about the human cost of our militarism, if we acknowledge the scores of veterans (not to mention civilians) whose lives are taken or shattered by war, we may be able to achieve the objective set in the OP - having fewer veterans to memorialize. Until such time, hats off to the fallen, those who mourn them, and those who console the mourners.

I also found that disgusting. Wasn't that the same guy who lied about being shot at in Iraq?

As for the militarism--WWII was for a long time the definitive argument against war, given especially the civilian losses which exceeded military.

I fear though that nowdays so many Americans experience war through movies and video games. They have militaristic values, to some degree, but wholly untempered by actual war experience, let alone military service.