Veteran’s Day


I’ve seen some people post “Happy Veteran’s Day.” I’m not a veteran. Technically, my dad was, although he was a naval officer who did his service in the Canal Zone, nowhere close to combat. I never saw him happy on Veteran’s Day.

I was never in the military, although I did carry a draft card during the Vietnam War. My number was assigned, but the draft ended before I could be called in for a physical. I do know a few who went to Vietnam and lived to tell. I’ve been to the memorial to those who didn’t live to tell.

The best way to honor Veteran’s Day, in my opinion, is to commit to avoiding war whenever possible. I’m currently halfway through reading “The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914” by Christopher Clark. I’ve read several books about WWI, but this focuses on how the European powers at the time perceived the situation, and how an assassination in Bosnia could have touched off a world-wide conflagration. It’s complicated, of course, but one thread that runs through the history is the volatile combination of hubris, tribalism and intoxication with military solutions. 

I fear that with the rise of autocracy and fascism in the world, we are sleepwalking into another, albeit shorter and far more deadly, world war. Already, the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, the largest war since WWII, has been underway for over two years, and when Trump succeeds Biden, Putin will feel free to use nuclear weapons to “win.” Then, he will menace the Baltics, Poland and Finland.

It has been said of the Balkans that they have always produced more history than could be consumed locally, but the same could be said of the Levant, where Israel, the sole nuclear power on the ground, is threatening war with Iran. Netanyahu understands that the only thing keeping him in office and out of prison is the pursuit of violence in Gaza and the West Bank. Now, Trump will continue to support Israel even if it detonates a nuclear weapon over Iran. The march of folly continues, leaving its wake death and dismemberment. Don’t think it can’t happen again.

You honor Veterans Day when you say “enough. They showed us what happens, and we learned the lesson.”


“Ah, young Willie McBride, I can't help wonder why
Do those that lie here know why did they die?
And did they believe when they answered the call
Did they really believe that this war would end wars?

 

“Well, the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain
The killing and dying, it all done in vain
For young Willie McBride, it all happened again
And again, and again, and again, and again

 

“Did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly?
Did they sound the departure as they lowered you down?
Did the band play, "The Last Post" in chorus?
Did the pipes play, "The Flowers of the Forest"?”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-38PB_5ozc

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