A Moment for the Troops

Its in the nature of this forum that we argue about the causes that our troops fight for and sometimes that spills out into arguments about our troops themselves. We've often resorted to using the slogan "Support the troops!" as a hammer to rhetorically bludgeon each other and that's just part of political debate but for a moment on this day set aside for those who died in war lets remember and honor their sacrifices.

The essence of being a soldier is duty and honor and its a powerful thing to be willing to risk your life out of a sense of duty in an honorable endeavor. Being the imperfect humans that we are we don't always agree on what is a right course of action nor is what is honorable always clear. At the same time being imperfect humans soldiers like the rest of us don't always live up to any idea of duty and honor.

While our soldiers and the missions they are sent on may not always seem right that shouldn't keep us from remembering and honoring them. These men and women aren't perfect but are largely the same as the rest of us. They are our brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and friends. They are us and as diverse and subject to the same imperfections as all of us.

What sets them apart though is the commitment to duty and honor to risk their lives and safety for that commitment. So for Memorial take a moment to think about the soldiers themselves and not necessarily whether you agree with the causes they were sent to fight for. Think about what it took for men to line up at York town and face another line of men shooting muskets and cannon at you. Think about what it took at Antietem to march headlong into fussilades of gun fire. Think about what it took to crawl up the beach at Normandy as entrenched enemies rained fire down on you. Think about what it took to be huddled down in a strange jungle at the Ie Drang Valley not knowing where or when an enemy might strike. Yes, even think about driving a lightly armored humvee in 120 degree heat through the streets of Ramadi with an IED or RPG potentially around every corner. Strip away the larger political motivations and for a moment and think about what it takes to be able and willing to do those sorts of things and then you will understand why we should remember and honor our troops.

 

Thanks Deckard. I was inspired to write that piece after rewatching We Were Soldiers and Glory and was thinking more about the troops that fought in Vietnam and the first black soldiers. For different reasons the experiences of those soldiers and their reception by the the rest of US society wasn't as clear cut as WWII troops. Vietnam has gone down as a black mark in our history and its a tragedy that those troops (and those who fought in Korea) weren't honored as much as the WWII troops even though they faced hazards and dangers as great. The black soldiers in the Civil War fought for a society that was riven about how they should be treated. While the Union sought to abolish slavery there was no consensus during the Civil War about what sort of rights black Americans would have. Even Abraham Lincoln thought the the best thing for blacks would be to go back to Africa.

I've seen some of Band of Brothers and agree that its excellent. Not to take anything away though from those who fought in the European theater of WWII I look at Memorial Day as honoring all soldiers who fought for the US be it in the War of 1812 or Panama in 1989. While the conflicts may not be as epic or noble as bringing down the Nazis all of those were still fought by soldiers who risked their lives for duty and honor.

 

^ You're right. I should've said "be it in the Spanish American war or Panama in 1989".