[I was prompted to write this op ed a few years ago by a letter in which the writer praised the military while in the same breath reviling the government. It is still timely. Following this item is a comment I ran across on a website today, which extends the role of "defenders of freedom" to every citizen.]
Memorial Day Reflections 2009
Why must we, upon celebrating Memorial Day, in one and the
same breath praise the military and vilify the government?
If our veterans, volunteers and conscripted, living and
dead, are spiritual descendants of those who fought in the Revolutionary War to
establish a free nation, then so our statesmen, elected and appointed, living
and dead, are spiritual descendants of those founding fathers who wrote the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
Our military can never have fought for our freedoms if our government had never
established those freedoms. And if we accuse some in our government of
being avaricious and corrupt, driven sometimes by hunger for power, then so do
we have to admit that some in our military are treacherous and cowardly, given
sometimes to atrocities.
Our young people have for more than 200 years fought in wars
and invasions both just and unjust, and our public officials have for more than
200 years crafted laws and treaties both wise and flawed.
It is a part of patriotism to hold our military to the
highest standards of honor and integrity, and it is equally a part of our
patriotism to hold our government officials to those same highest standards of
honor and integrity.
While we honor our veterans for fighting to maintain our
freedoms, let us honor our statesmen for writing the laws establishing those
freedoms. Both veterans and statesmen, living and dead, have given and
are giving their lives for our country.
[Today i saw the following comment on a blog on the web. This veteran names more than veterans and statesmen as "defenders of freedom." It is for all of us to take up that role.]
From Demo Christian:
As an Army veteran and as an American I am offended by
the phrase "those who are defending our freedoms."
Yes, men and women have given their lives to preserve
freedom and to protect America from foreign threats. But it is the job of every
American to defend the freedoms that we are guaranteed by our constitution. And
many have been labeled as un-American for doing so. Freedom riders,
suffragettes, comedians, war protesters, writers and a host of lynched men
helped defend the freedoms that others tried to and did deny them.
I am glad that we honor our war dead for their sacrifice.
But I can think of no better way to honor them than to exercise our freedoms
and ensure that they are not a cherished memory for our grandchildren.
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