Been a soldier for a thousand years

(Written by Buffy Ste. Marie, but this is a great version)

It saddens me that we still need the military. You'd think in this modern world we would have gotten past shooting and bombing as a strategy for diplomacy. But we still have tyrants, 19th century warlords, drug cartels, terrorist extremists, and right-wing neocons driving policy discussions in their own arenas of influence. And from all of those, we still need protection.

So for those who join the military for whatever reason, tragic or heroic, I salute you on this Memorial Day. I wish hopefully that you never are hurt or worse, that your service leaves you feeling uplifted, and that your re-entry into civilian life is smooth.

And for those who are damaged by being involved in a war, my heart goes out to you. I am always mindful of Herbert Read's wrenching poem "Bombing Casualties: Spain":

Dolls' faces are rosier but these were children
their eyes not glass but gleaming gristle
dark lenses in whose quicksilvery glances
the sunlight quivered. These blenched lips
were warm once and bright with blood
but blood
held in a moist bleb of flesh
not spilt and spatter'd in touseled hair.

In these shadowy tresses
red petals did not always
thus clot and blacken to a scar.

These are dead faces:
wasps' nests are not more wanly waxen
wood embers not so grely ashen.

They are laid out in ranks
like paper lanterns that have fallen
after a night of riot
extinct in the dry morning air.

His country wanted him to fight, For the things they thought were right

Most people join the military for a variety of reasons, some noble, others less so. Some are purely patriotic, some see the military as a way to improve their life, either by educational benefits, or just a steady job. And some really have an affinity for the military lifestyle.

They enter into a contract with society. They promise to protect and defend the U.S., and we, the citizens of the U.S., promise to support them in every way imaginable. Soldiers know the job has risks, and they agree to take on those risks so civilians don't have to. But soldiers depend on civilian leaders to not put them at risk for bad reasons, because soldiers can't say no.

I'll be the first to admit I never would have joined the armed services. That may be a fault in my personality, and it may also be because in my lifetime, and especially since the Cold War ended, there has beel no real manifest threat to America. Not the dominoes predicted to fall after Viet Nam, and certainly not the Islamic terrorists in the Middle East. Yes, 9/11 was terrible, but in 2006 alone, over 17,000 people died in alcohol-related car accidents. Perspective, folks.

But the folks who join the military, who take up weapons and charge off into battle following orders, deserve our complete respect and support. Not with Yellow Ribbon magnets, not "I Support The Troops" bumper stickers, but health care, education, decent pay, and wisdom in choosing their battles.

And they should get our solemn reverence when they don't come home, and their families should be supported and consoled. Whatever the war, whatever the political climate, the soldiers are doing their job, and their families often pay a great price for sending their loved ones off to protect America.

Please remember that under all the political rhetoric, the lofty ideals, the rationales for war, the ultimate price isn't paid by politicians, leaders, or the country at large. It's paid by teachers, students, mechanics, medics, wives, husbands, brothers, children, and all the military families who lend their kin to the country. They gave us their literal best.

We owe them our best in return.


"And They Obey" ~ Carl Sandburg

Smash down the cities.
Knock the walls to pieces.
Break the factories and cathedrals, warehouses
and homes
Into loose piles of stone and lumber and black
burnt wood:
You are the soldiers and we command you.

Build up the cities.
Set up the walls again.
Put together once more the factories and cathedrals,
warehouses and homes
Into buildings for life and labor:
You are workmen and citizens all: We
command you.

And one name read and nobody really cared, But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair

Our good friend Brad Friedman of BradBlog has 4 posts at the top today with the names of every U.S. soldier killed in the Afghan and Iraqi Wars, it's incredibly humbling.

It's too easy to intellectualize these wars. Regardless of your opinion of either war, these are men, women, younger as well as older, that will never walk this earth again. If anyone reading here has lost someone in these wars, my heartfelt sorrow goes out to you. If you haven't lost anyone, look at someone you love across the room, and imagine their blood spilled thousands of miles away. It should make your heart ache. Now imagine the families connected to the names on Brad's list. Because for them, it's not intellectual, nor imaginary.

It's bitter reality.

And please, watch the video, listen to the lyrics. If you're not already a fan, you will be.

In Memoriam

It's Memorial Day and the unnecessary deaths from friendly fire, bad political decisions, poor equipment ... have nothing to do with the soldiers who died. Those conditions have been inherent in war since war began. And especially so in the wars that started with lies. Just in my lifetime: 'Gulf Of Tonkin Incident'; 'Grenada Was Taken Over By Communists'; 'Iraq Has WMDs and We Know Where They Are' were all lies.

But the people who died because of these lies did not die for these lies. They died for their fellows, they died for their country, they died for us.

This is why we should remember them every day, not just between brats (edible and sired) on this day, but because regardless of the lies, the coverups, the sheer incompetence that put them in harm's way to begin with, they were doing it for us.

I say you're a holiday

Wes Clark thinks we should stop politicking for Memorial Day. Seems like a good idea, especially considering that Wes understands what the day really is: not barbecue, not frisbees in the back yard, not potato salad:

For one day, WesPAC and our friends at VoteVets.org and the National Security Network will put politics completely aside, and stand in solidarity with the rest of our nation to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or of another party or no party at all, we are all still Americans, and on this day, we should solely be focused on honoring those who died in service. We're also asking that people not protest at Memorial Day events; we have 364 other days to argue policy and politics, but this day belongs to the fallen and their memories.

Today, please consider making a donation to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (http://www.fallenheroesfund.org), which is dedicated to helping the families of those who died in service. The Intrepid Fund has already provided $60 million in aid to families, but can only continue to do so with your support.

As compelling as that is, I'm betting right now the Right-wing smear machine will be at full throttle all through the week-end, and I don't think I can keep quiet with those bastards prattling on.

But thanks, Wes, for trying.