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Mumbles
I was trying to think of a good Memorial Day photo op. I turned to the newspaper to see what Memorial Day activity had slipped by me. There were none. I took to the streets. Besides the small flags along the sidewalk in front of Bank of Early, the only signs of remembrance were a flag here and there. Maybe, while we fall short as a community in demonstrating our remembrance of those who died in the line of duty for our freedoms, maybe we each did remember in our own way. Maybe just a memory coupled with a moment of silence and a prayer. My memory took me back about 30 years to a late night after Judy had gone to bed. I was sitting up watching a movie - The Deer Hunter, an academy award winning movie about friends who fought in the Vietnam war. The pains and emotions stirred by the Vietnam war were still very real. I was still trying to figure out why it was my destiny not to have to join the fight in the sweltering jungles. After joining the National Guard, I came within 30 days of going to Vietnam with our "duster" battalion. We were ordered to stand down, however, as the decision was made to pull out. The movie struck a nerve unleashing my emotions. I wept as I found myself hurting along with the characters. Leaning back distraught in my recliner, I had picked up my Bible and unwittingly stuck my finger between some pages. Eventually, I opened it and found my left index finger on Mark 13. In verses seven and eight Jesus said: "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs." The passage didn't necessarily answer all my question, but the questions subsided with the comfort of the message. The pain of war has grown too distant. Our current war too often seems surreal due to the politics and numbing media coverage. Only one WWI veteran is still alive in the United States. Our WWII veterans are dying at the rate of over a thousand per day. The Korean War is known as "the forgotten war" and the rebellious generation of the 1960s marred the soldiers of the Vietnam War to the extent their country never bestowed the honor upon them they deserved. And shameful partisan politics is likely to forever taint the honor of today's soldiers.
It may do so in the history books. But, never in the hearts of Americans who love this country and understand where their way of life and freedoms come from.
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