My dad tells the story of my mother and her parents going to visit Gettysburg when he and mom were engaged. My grandfather was a Civil War and Lincoln buff. They’re standing on a hill overlooking the battlefield, and Dad says, “What a tragic waste of lives.” My grandfather looks at him and says, “What makes you think they were wasted?”
I bring this story up because of something that one of our trolls says in relation to the Walter Reed brouhaha:
I don’t support our current missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think those who served in them and were wounded should be treated badly.
In fact, I think they should get first class treatment, because sooner or later they’re gonna realize their sacrifice was for nothing.
I’m sure that the person in question, and those who think as he does, will do everything in their power to see that that is so. Meanwhile, the liberty of 25 million Iraqis is in question, and as Gates of Vienna points out on their masthead, some of us believe that this is the latest chapter in a very long war.
I would just like to come back to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address:
But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.
You cannot detract. You certainly lack the capacity to add.
More Beclowning: Larry Johnson resurfaces (He does that occasionally, almost as though he’s a Mass Pike road crew.)
My son, a marine LCPL, just departed today for Iraq. I wished him a safe return and hoped that he wouldn’t needlessly put himself in harms way. To that he stated, “Defending freedom is never needless, Dad. besides, the point is not to live as long as you can, but to live as worthwhile as you can.” Bless his heart.
Alphie, et al. Now it’s personal.
God speed him and protect him.
From the Lieberman piece:
Almost makes you forget that he’s an on fire liberal, doesn’t it? Probably because he realizes that he’s an American first, and a Dem second.
nnivea, all good wishes for your son, and please thank him for us when you get the chance.
Here’s a question, does the fact that the idiot in charge botched the effort necessarily mean that the effort is a waste?
Namely, if the President or General in charge of the war you’re fighting in couldn’t lead his way out of a paper bag, does it mean that you’re wasting your life for fighting in that war?
The obvious answer is no. If I chose to fight for another’s freedom, and deem the effort worthy of my life, then there is nothing anyone can do which would make my death a waste.
But isn’t it a hallmark of the left that they are pretentious enough to believe only they know which causes are worthy of your effort.
I’d love to know WHAT military action this idiot supports.
Let me guess: Something that has to do with the UN in charge, nothing to do with America’s security, and a Democrat in the White House.
God bless the Marine Corps.
The usual anodyne for losing your own people in a war is that you win and therefore their deaths were not in vain. You can’t really say that up front if you side loses.
On a more abstract level you can say that soldier who dies giving his life for his buddies has had a good life and a death that deserves commemoration. That is what I personally believe. But, of course, if you approach it that way, then at some level “Letters from Iwo Jima” and “Flags of our Fathers” are on the same page. I can deal with that, in retrospect, but I’m not sure my father—who fought in the Pacific—could: not because he was prejudiced, he was not in any way, but because just viscerally he could never get over his war experiences. And I could not personally adopt that POV for either Vietnam or the WOT, myself. But I hope my grandchildren will be able to.
As an American I know we have lots of ways of framing the Civil War so that “None died in vain”, and that both sides “really” were so close. As someone who had family on both sides, and has stories passed down, I’m not sure it was really seen that way. One thing that WAS common in those days was a belief in God, who united both sides in some vast dimension. But I am not sure that I have ever heard anyone talk about the opposing sides in any 20th Century War that way, much less the 21st Century.
To say that the loss of lives in war—leaving civilian casualties out of the picture, but we should keep them in mind anyway—is not a waste is to ultimately strive for a metaphysical truth about death and killing that reconciles us to the reality of it. And I appreciate that. However, only an American would say that the lives lost in Pickett’s Charge were “unwasted.”
We’ve reached a point in our culture where “told ya so” is more important than winning a war.
Allah has a very interesting Iraq update up over at Hot Air.
to nnivea: What’s your sons’ MOS? I was an 0331 twenty odd years ago. Please ensure that people write often. It helps.
Blue Hen,
He’s in aviation logistics support, CLC-115 LS Platoon, member of the Savannah Marines. Gave up a Naval Academy appointment to be an enlisted marine reserve. He finds anti-war types to be at best amusing up to a point. I wouldn’t advise spitting on him upon his return, though. He’s got muscles in his shit.
Thanks to all for your kind words. He’s very proud to be serving on your behalf.
God bless your son, nnivea. Tell him to shoot first, and to shoot straight.
I don’t want to drag this down to the level at which soldiers tend to speak amongst themselves, but for those alfi’s who are so concerned at the welfare of our troops, it might be worth knowing that “Who Dares Wins” is more commonly expressed as “Who cares who wins?” by the irresponsible scamps who populate that Regiment. Most soldiers spend their time angling to get on active service and to avoid peacetime soldiering.